News

Project working to improve speech recognition software seeks patients

The Speech Accessibility Project continues to seek participants for its initiative, which focuses on enhancing voice recognition software for people facing speech difficulties like those associated with Parkinson’s disease. The project gathers voice recordings from people with Parkinson’s and related neurological conditions, such as multiple system atrophy…

Plant-based diet may lower Parkinson’s risk

Adhering to healthy plant-based dietary patterns was associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, especially among older people, according to a large-scale U.K. study. A higher intake of vegetables, nuts, and tea in the regular diet is linked to the lowest Parkinson’s risk, data show. “These results…

Parkinson’s may be autoimmune disease in part, new study shows

Exposure to alpha-synuclein, a protein that accumulates in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, led to inflammation and damage to nerve cells in the gut of mice carrying a human gene associated with several autoimmune disorders, a new study showed. Alpha-synuclein-related autoimmunity also induced constipation — a gut-related…

Racial disparities revealed in use of DBS, study shows

Racial disparities exist in the use of deep brain stimulation among people with Parkinson’s disease, a real-world claims study concluded. Compared to the proportion represented in the Medicare database, more people who identified as white, and fewer Black and Hispanic patients, underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s medications may impair body’s ability to keep cool: Study

Medications commonly used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease may affect the body’s ability to control its core temperature, part of the body’s so-called automatic functions, which include sweating, a review study found. Such agents — which include anticholinergic medications and cholinesterase inhibitors, dopamine replacement therapies, and dopamine…

COVID-19 pandemic affected patient well-being: UK survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has had some negative physical and social impacts on the overall well-being of people with Parkinson’s disease, a new study highlights. Therefore, it’s important for clinicians to help patients get social support, not just address physical symptoms of the disease as pandemic-related restrictions ease, researchers wrote…