Scientists have created an implantable device that can provide electrical stimulation in the body without need for a battery. The new technology, which is powered by ultrasound, may serve as a useful platform to develop next-generation implantable devices to treat conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. The team described its…
People who carry a specific mutation in the gene for a small protein called SHLP2 are about half as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, a study from the University of Southern California (USC) has found, offering a new direction to treat the disease. The mutation, found mainly in people…
Researchers at Harvard and Boston universities have adapted a soft, robotic wearable device to help mitigate the effects of gait freezing, a potentially disabling Parkinson’s disease symptom marked by patients feeling like their feet are stuck to the floor, and they’re unable to take another step. The device or…
Scientists have uncovered the complex structure and interplay of two proteins, called LRRK2 and Rab29, that are implicated in late-onset Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, they found LRRK2 is recruited to the membranes of cells by forming a complex with Rab29, causing LRRK2 to undergo changes in its structure and adopting…
A man with Parkinson’s disease saw an easing of his motor and nonmotor symptoms and better fitness after taking part in Spinning Wheels, an 85-day, cross-country bike tour of Canada supporting people with the neurodegenerative condition. Steve Iseman, 57, cycled 7,850 km (nearly 5,000 miles) from Canada’s west…
A protein called NEMO can dock to misfolded forms of alpha-synuclein — the protein whose toxic aggregates damage and kill nerve cells in Parkinson’s disease — sending them off for recycling in cellular structures called lysosomes, a study reports. But problems with this waste disposal process can lead to…
Monitoring symptoms at home using smartwatch-smartphone technology collected individual profiles of tremor and activity fluctuations among people with advanced Parkinson’s disease being treated with levodopa. The technology can provide useful information to improve treatments and patient outcomes and, by combining it with telemedicine and other digital health tools, could…
A plant compound called afzelin lessened motor abnormalities in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. Afzelin, found in certain plants like some water lilies and trees, has been shown to have a variety of pharmacological properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, that might benefit people with…
Treatment with AB-1005 (AAV2-GDNF), AskBio’s investigational gene therapy, was safe and well tolerated among patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease, according to top-line results from a Phase 1b clinical trial. The company, wholly owned by Bayer, has also completed an 18-month data collection which demonstrated the…
A three-month exercise program focusing on Brazilian dance led to greater gains in lower limb strength among Parkinson’s disease patients than Nordic walking or deep-water exercise programs, according to a clinical trial report. Most measures of motor performance, cognitive function, and quality of life were unaltered by any of…
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