News

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy do not improve the quality of life for patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology. The findings were based on a large-scale clinical trial, PD REHAB, conducted by researchers at the…

Simvastatin, a cholesterol lowering drug, will be investigated as a potential treatment option for Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Researchers hope this drug might one day effectively treat the disease. The double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial, in development at the Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, plans to enroll up to 198 PD patients at 21 U.K. centers. Researchers are considering…

A novel determinant for Parkinson’s Disease as been discovered: a previously unknown defect in the function of the Pla2g6 protein leads to calcium homeostasis disruption and neuronal cell death. The research paper, entitled “Impairment of PARK14-dependent Ca2+ signalling is a novel determinant of Parkinson’s disease,” was published in Nature Communications. While…

A drug typically prescribed for dementia may help prevent debilitating falls in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a study, “Rivastigmine for gait stability in patients with Parkinson’s disease (ReSPonD): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial,” published in the journal The Lancet Neurology. Falls are a frequent…

An analysis from business intelligence provider GBI Research titled “Frontier Pharma: Parkinson’s Disease — Identifying and Commercializing First-in-Class Innovation,” claims the current Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment market relies on neuromodulators, and even though symptoms might be soothed, no neuromodulator has demonstrated neuroprotective properties to prevent or even slow…

A recent study published in JAMA Neurology suggested an association between weight loss in patients with early Parkinson’s disease and rapid disease progression. Weight loss is usual in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), but these new findings indicate that weight loss early in the disease’s progression reflects a more serious form…

Cynapsus Therapeutics, Inc., a Toronto-based specialty pharmaceutical company, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) announced they are collaborating to incorporate wearable device technology and “big data” approaches into Cynapsus’ pivotal Phase 3 clinical study of APL-130277, a fast-dissolving, sublingual formulation of the drug apomorphine to treat…

A recent article in the Harvard Gazette suggests dance as a potential treatment for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Imaging studies have identified several brain regions involved in the complex, rhythmical, and coordinated movements that constitute dance. The motor cortex is — as with other kinds of voluntary…

A new study from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, published in the journal BRAIN, sheds new light on the processes leading to aggregation of the protein αlpha-synuclein in the brain of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It has been proposed that the aggregates propagate in a fashion similar to prions,…

Contrary to recent evidence, new research has found no positive correlation between anticholinergic medication intake and a higher risk for dementia in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. The study is titled “Anticholinergic Load: Is there a Cognitive Cost in Early Parkinson’s Disease?” and appears in the Journal…