News

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,…

Forceful swallowing not seen to ease dysphagia of Parkinson’s

An approach for treating dysphagia — called effortful swallow maneuver — did not consistently ease signs of swallowing difficulties for Parkinson’s disease patients in a small pilot study. Effortful swallow, or ES, refers to a practice where patients are asked to consciously increase the force they use when swallowing…

Study explores factors that shape patients’ quality of life

People with Parkinson’s disease tend to have different coping strategies depending on factors such as age, gender, and education, a new study shows. Findings suggest that differences in demographic and clinical factors, but not differences in coping strategies, are the main factors that determine patients’ quality of life, according…

FDA asking for more safety data on extended-release IPX203

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking for more information concerning the safety of  IPX203, an extended-release oral formulation of carbidopa and levodopa, before a final approval decision in treating Parkinson’s disease symptoms can be made. In a complete response letter to Amneal Pharmaceuticals,…

Sensors may allow at-home measuring of levodopa levels

Researchers have created a system that could be developed to allow at-home measuring of levodopa levels in people with Parkinson’s disease. The system was described in the study “Smartphone-based detection of levodopa in human sweat using 3D printed sensors,” published in Analytica Chimica Acta.