News

Group singing helps people with Parkinson’s and their spouses

Participating in a group singing program can help with speaking ability and emotional well-being for people with Parkinson’s disease, as well as foster better relationships between patients and their spouses, a new study highlights. “Our findings extend previous research on group singing in PD [Parkinson’s disease] by looking in…

Gaps in US healthcare bigger for certain Parkinson’s patients: Study

Gaps in healthcare for individuals with Parkinson’s disease in the U.S. have been identified, with notable disparities observed for women, individuals belonging to minority groups, and residents living in rural areas. That’s according to a study utilizing 2019 Medicare data, which includes approximately 90% of individuals living with Parkinson’s…

NT-0796 reduced inflammatory markers in older adults in 7 days

NodThera’s NT-0796, an investigational oral therapy for Parkinson’s disease, reduced several inflammatory markers in elderly volunteers in seven days, according to initial data from a Phase Ib/IIa study. Parkinson’s patients are now being recruited for the trial’s second phase to determine the therapy’s impact on a panel of clinical…

Cannabinoid-based therapy tested in preclinical study

Gb Sciences has completed a study testing its experimental cannabinoid-based therapy for Parkinson’s disease in rodents. The study, which was conducted at the University of Lethbridge, in Canada, tested a range of doses of the investigational therapy, establishing how long it takes each dose to have an effect…

Disability stigma hinders employment experiences

Internalized, experienced, or anticipated stigma have significant impacts on employment experiences for people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study. In semi-structured interviews with patients, a researcher identified that patients felt hesitant to disclose their diagnosis in the workplace or ask for disability-related accommodations, often due to a…

Improved software for deep brain stimulation wins FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Boston Scientific’s software called Vercise Neural Navigator 5, which provides visual guidance on how to best program deep brain stimulation (DBS) settings for Parkinson’s disease. The improved software features an enhanced user-friendly interface that presents simplified patient data and…

Plant compounds found to ease Parkinson’s-like symptoms in rats

Plant compounds extracted from the Amomum subulatum fruit, also known as greater cardamom, were found to ease Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms — lessoning tremors and reducing muscular rigidity — in a rat model of features that are hallmarks of the neurodegenerative disorder. The greater cardamom extracts, given orally, worked to increase…

Parkinson Voice Project grant aids SPEAK OUT! at Northeastern

The Parkinson Voice Project (PVP)’s SPEAK OUT! Therapy & Research Center at Northeastern University will receive a $280,000 PVP grant for training, services, equipment, and supplies over the next five years. The four-week program, running at the university’s Speech-Language and Hearing Center for more than two years,…