News

Increasing zinc transporter may be Parkinson’s therapeutic target

Enhancing mechanisms associated with the degradation of misfolded proteins at the proteasome, that is, cellular structures where these proteins are degraded, may be a new therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease. That’s according to a new study in fruit flies, where researchers found that the ZIP7 protein,…

Ali’s daughter takes up the ‘fight’ for Parkinson’s families

Six years before world champion boxer Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, his young daughter noticed he was slurring his speech. It was around the time of Ali’s heavyweight championship fight against Leon Spinks. “People thought he was ‘punch drunk’ from boxing,” the daughter, Maryum “May May” Ali,…

Protein-like polymer may limit oxidative stress, protect nerve cells

A newly developed molecule showed an ability in lab studies to activate antioxidant responses in brain cells by altering how two proteins, believed to be involved in the development of Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, interact. The small molecule, known as a protein-like polymer, is designed to bind to…

Addressing anxiety may aid walking problems in Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson’s disease who have clinically significant anxiety tend to walk more slowly and with shorter steps than people with the disease who don’t have anxiety. That’s according to the study, “The impact of anxiety on gait impairments in Parkinson’s disease: insights from sensor-based gait analysis,” which…

Emotional processing tied to facial recognition in Parkinson’s: Study

Deficits in emotional processing, rather than impaired ability to simulate facial expressions, likely explain problems Parkinson’s disease patients encounter when trying to recognize emotions on human faces, a study suggests. Researchers asked patients and healthy individuals to recognize different, non-emotional facial expressions on avatars, either static or moving. No…