News

A higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and low lymphocyte counts in the bloodstream, thought to reflect greater systemic inflammation, were associated with fewer dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, a study showed. These immune alterations were also generally linked to worse motor function across both groups. The…

Home initiation of under-the-skin (subcutaneous) apomorphine infusion — a treatment for motor fluctuations — is faster at improving the life quality of Parkinson’s disease patients than in hospital initiation, a French study has shown. Continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion (CSAI) initiation at home for Parkinson’s was found to be feasible…

Physical exercise interventions can lessen Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms — and these beneficial effects are similar for both aerobic and nonaerobic activity. That’s according to the findings of a new meta-analysis of published studies, which involved 25 articles relating to interventions spanning 4-26 weeks. “This review provides…

Dysphagia, or swallowing difficulties, is associated with a higher risk of death among people with advanced Parkinson’s disease who are treated with Duodopa/Duopa, a levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG), a study shows. Notably, “dysphagia was the only significant predictor of death in our cohort [group], confirming and highlighting the…

With bipartisan support, the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act has been reintroduced in the U.S. House and Senate. The legislation aims to unite the federal government in a coordinated effort with the private sector to cure and prevent the neurodegenerative disease. Said to be the first legislation devoted…

The greater the loss of dopamine transporter (DAT) protein in a brain region significantly affected by Parkinson’s disease — the striatum — the more severe are patients’ motor and nonmotor symptoms over time, particularly for men, a study reported. DAT levels were assessed with DAT imaging, a scanning technique…

Dipraglurant, an investigational oral therapy from Addex Therapeutics, eased motor and nonmotor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease in rodent models, a study showed. Along with being rapidly absorbed in the bloodstream, dipraglurant demonstrated anti-parkinsonian effects and reduced behaviors associated with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder in mice and…

AT-04 and AT-07, experimental therapies Attralus is developing to treat Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, are able to potently bind to several proteins that form toxic clumps in these conditions. That’s according to new data shared at the AD/PD 2023-International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and…

Older age at the onset of disease, high blood pressure, poor cognitive and motor function, and mutations in the APOE gene are risk factors of future cognitive impairment in newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease, a study showed. The combination of these factors was able to more accurately predict which patients…

Parkinson’s Awareness Month in April is a global opportunity to bring attention to the progressive neurodegenerative disease, as well as to educate communities about available resources, according to patients and advocates. Since 1997, World Parkinson’s Day has been celebrated on April 11. It commemorates the birth of James Parkinson, the…