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2 nonprofits team up with focus on care for atypical parkinsonism

The Parkinson’s Foundation and CurePSP have partnered on a new, multi-part educational program for healthcare professionals that’s aimed at helping frontline workers better understand atypical parkinsonism. Its overarching goals are improved diagnosis and care. The Atypical Parkinsonism Program focuses on three disease types: progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal…

Newer diabetes medications may prevent Parkinson’s, study suggests

Newer glucose-lowering drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes, compared with a placebo, appear to lower a person’s risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Findings suggest a potential association between recent classes of anti-diabetic medications and the risk of developing Parkinson’s, and they…

Freezing of gait more likely to occur with long-term levodopa use

Patients who are on long-term levodopa to treat Parkinson’s disease are more likely to experience self-reported freezing of gait, or FOG, than levodopa-naïve (untreated) patients, a study has found. These findings suggest that FOG should be taken into account when studying Parkinson’s, with “the ultimate aim to develop…

Brain wave changes in sleep can predict levodopa-induced dyskinesia

People with Parkinson’s disease whose electrical brain wave activity declines more slowly during deep sleep develop levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID), or uncontrolled movements, faster, a study has found. These findings confirm a link between sleep-related brain wave activity and LID, and support the development of sleep-targeted therapies that may protect…