Recently, a group of researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), in New York, have identified the physiological reason why dyskinesias, the involuntary motor movements experienced by patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who are treated with levodopa, occurs. The study, entitled, “Loss of Striatonigral GABAergic Presynaptic Inhibition…
In a recent study led by researchers from the UCLA-DOE Institute entitled “Structure of the toxic core of α-synuclein from invisible crystals” published in Nature, an ultra-high-resolution structure of crystals from the core of alpha-synuclein fibrils, toxic assemblies formed in…
In a recent study published in PLOS One, entitled “Temporal Lobe and Frontal-Subcortical Dissociations in Non-Demented Parkinson’s Disease with Verbal Memory Impairment“, scientists from the University of Florida examined the association between Parkinson’s disease in non-dementia patients and verbal memory impairment. They found that about…
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development and commercialization of innovative medicines to address unmet medical needs in central nervous system disorders, has just announced it has filed for a New Drug Application with the US Food and Drug Administration for NUPLAZID (pimavanserin) for the treatment of psychosis associated…
A study entitled “High rates of parkinsonism in adults with autism”, published 30 August, 2015 in the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, has established a correlation between autism and parkinsonian motor signs. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed in approximately 1.5% of children in the…
Researchers from the University of Maryland Medicine and from its Center for Metabolic Imaging and Image-Guided Therapeutics (CMIT) are conducting the first clinical trial with ultrasound waves to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), they guide ultrasound waves through the intact skin and skull to a deep brain…
Neuroscientists from the University of Adelaide are leading a first-of-its-kind study on a type of dementia commonly observed in patients with Parkinson’s disease, which the scientists hope lead to a potential new therapy. From September 1-7, 2015, during the Parkinson’s Awareness Week, the University of Adelaide’s School of Medicine’s Dr. Lyndsey Collins-Praino will be…
According to two new research papers led by University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) scientists, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with similarities to Parkinson’s disease, is caused by a newly discovered type of prion, a variant of the misfolded proteins associated with incurable progressive brain diseases…
The National Parkinson Foundation’s (NPF) medical director, Michael S. Okun, M.D., recently published a new book, titled, “10 Breakthrough Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease,” which is a follow-up of his previous Amazon bestseller “Parkinson’s Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life.” The sequel provides updated information to patients and their…
In a new study entitled “Elevated mitochondrial bioenergetics and axonal arborization size are key contributors to the vulnerability of dopamine neurons” scientists discovered why dopamine producing neurons are particularly vulnerable in Parkinson’s disease. These new findings point towards a key role for mitochondria and these neurons’ high energy requirements…
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