News

A strain of influenza commonly known as swine flu could trigger the development of Parkinson’s disease, according to a study in mice. Mice infected with the H1N1 strain lost a lot of their brain neurons, even long after the virus struck. Neuron loss is a hallmark of Parkinson’s. Importantly, vaccination against the…

Merz Neurosciences says two doses of its therapy Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxin A) effectively treat chronic drooling among patients with Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses. The company, a unit of Germany’s Merz Pharma, will present results from the SIAXI Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT02091739) June 7 at the 21st International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease…

Researchers found that clumps of faulty protein involved in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease cause brain damage by invading and rupturing small vesicles in neurons. The study, “Endocytic vesicle rupture is a conserved mechanism of cellular invasion by amyloid proteins,” published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, bring…

Researchers have found new biomarkers that may improve the ability of clinicians to predict which patients in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease will suffer cognitive impairment within the first three years of their diagnosis, a new study says. These biomarkers include deficits in dopaminergic circuits (neurons that produce dopamine, which…

The antipsychotics Clozaril (clozapine, or CLZ) and Nuplazid (pimavanserin, or PIM) are potential treatments for Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (iPD), whose cause is unknown. However, their use is currently limited and further research is necessary, according to…

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have identified the underlying neural mechanisms responsible for the reduced sense of touch and smell which Parkinson’s patients experience in early stages of the disease. A better understanding of these processes can help in the development of new early diagnostic methods. Their findings resulted…

Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may have more in common than previously thought. According to a recent study, a known ALS gene called SOD1 also may be involved in the development of Parkinson’s. This finding opens the possibility of treating Parkinson’s patients with therapies targeting SOD1 toxicity, which already have…

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Finland’s Herantis Pharma a patent covering the use of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) to treat Parkinson’s disease and other neurological illnesses. The patent is related to a genetic sequence encoding MANF. Molecules such as MANF nucleic acids and MANF polypeptides, can be used…

Israel’s NeuroDerm will update its ND0612H and ND0701 therapies for Parkinson’s disease during the 21st International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, scheduled for June 4-8 in Vancouver. ND0612H is a liquid formulation of levodopa/carbidopa (LD/CD) given subcutaneously to patients with advanced Parkinson’s. Trial 006 (NCT02577523) enrolled…

African-Americans are more likely to receive care for Parkinson’s disease in a hospital emergency room and have more hospital stays than whites, according to a U.S. study. Blacks also more likely to be treated for stroke in a hospital than whites, researchers said. Another finding was that both African-Americans and…