News

New plaque marks UAMS as PF Comprehensive Care Center

The Parkinson’s Foundation presented the Movement Disorders Clinic at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) with a plaque last month that marks its recent designation as a Comprehensive Care Center. The university was one of six centers named in June 2022 as part of the Foundation’s…

Nicotinamide riboside supplement may help ease motor symptoms

One month of a high-dose nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplement — thought to boost energy production in the body’s cells — was well-tolerated and eased motor symptoms among people with Parkinson’s disease in a small clinical trial. But the researchers caution that these results are preliminary, and note that data…

Device measures alpha-synuclein at very low concentrations

Scientists have developed a handheld device that can be used to measure levels of biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders. “This portable diagnostic system would allow testing at-home and at point of care, like clinics and nursing homes, for neurodegenerative diseases globally,” Ratnesh Lal, PhD, said in…

Gut bacteria Bifidobacteria breaks down levodopa: Study

Bifidobacteria, a type of bacteria found at higher levels in the gut of Parkinson’s disease patients, is capable of breaking down levodopa, the gold-standard therapy for the neurodegenerative disease, according to recent laboratory studies. Levels of the bacteria in the guts of Parkinson’s patients correlated with the dose of…