Unfertilized human egg cells can give rise to so-called parthenogenetic stem cells, having the characteristics of embryonal stem cells but without the ethically debatable use of early embryos. Now, a new study demonstrates that neural stem cells derived from parthenogenetic cells transplanted to non-human primates with Parkinson’s disease improved…
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The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) has announced research investments of $4 million for early career scientists addressing Parkinson’s disease (PD). The foundation’s increased investment in early-career scientists is showcased through its new Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Awards, a program named after PDF’s longtime scientific director. The awards provide…
Thirty-six years after clinching an Olympic gold medal, a trembling hand lit the 1996 Summer Olympic Flame during the opening ceremony in Atlanta, Ga. The hand belonged to the greatest boxer in the world, Muhammad Ali. The significance of the moment far exceeded his title as ‘The Greatest’ heavyweight champion in the…
A recent publication in the journal Nature Genetics describes a new genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease. The newly identified gene, called TMEM230, is involved in storage and release of the neurotransmitter dopamine from neurons. The findings open up new avenues of research into mechanisms leading to the…
Infection with the ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has repeatedly been linked to Parkinson’s disease. Recently, researchers revealed that the infection is associated with higher levels of certain autoantibodies — possibly explaining the connection between the two seemingly unrelated disease states. The research team at the University of Malaya, in Malaysia,…
One of the main topics discussed at the 2nd Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Copenhagen, Denmark, focused on early stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD). According to Prof. Günther Deuschl of the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel and the president of the EAN, “new, neuroprotective or disease-modifying…
Addex Therapeutics recently published the results of the company’s Phase 2 trial of its drug candidate dipraglurant in patients with levodopa-induced dyskinesia associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD-LID). The manuscript, “A Phase 2A Trial of the Novel mGluR5-Negative Allosteric Modulator Dipraglurant for Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia in Parkinson’s Disease,” was published…
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Researchers Identify Promising Targets in Molecular Pathway Involved in Sporadic Parkinson’s Disease
Researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have learned that oxidative stress, a main driver in sporadic Parkinson’s Disease, affects the parkin protein – essential to clear damaged proteins and mitochondria in cells – in the same manner that genetic mutations do. The findings help researchers better understand sporadic PD. The molecular dysfunction…
Platelets contribute to amyloid-β deposits in blood vessels in the brain by promoting the formation of Aβ aggregates that are central to Parkinson’s disease, but a heart medication — the anti-platelet drug clopidogrel — can help to stop these plaques from forming, researchers at Örebro University in Sweden reported. This last finding, from a…
While Parkinson’s disease is mainly associated with motor deficits, recent research shows that patients suffering this devastating disease are also plagued by difficulties in to communicate clearly. In an extensive review, Thomas Holtgraves and Chelsea Cadle from Ball State University in Indiana tease out which areas of communication might…
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