Exposure to alpha-synuclein, a protein that accumulates in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, led to inflammation and damage to nerve cells in the gut of mice carrying a human gene associated with several autoimmune disorders, a new study showed. Alpha-synuclein-related autoimmunity also induced constipation — a gut-related…
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Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder caused by the progressive dysfunction and death of neurons (nerve cells) that are responsible for making dopamine, called dopaminergic neurons. These neurons are primarily found in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra.
Small vesicles that contain the protein alpha-synuclein may help distinguish Parkinson’s disease patients from healthy people, according to a meta-analysis. When isolated from easily accessible samples, like the blood, these vesicles may “reflect changes in the brain,” researchers wrote in “Extracellular Vesicles for the Diagnosis of Parkinson’s…
The immune response triggered by UB-312, an experimental vaccine by Vaxxinity, effectively targeted alpha-synuclein protein aggregates and slowed their toxic buildup in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Parkinson’s disease patients in a Phase 1 trial, compared with those given a placebo, data show. The full target engagement triggered…
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…
Certain biomarkers in the blood may help doctors in determining whether a person has Parkinson’s disease or atypical parkinsonism, both of which show similar symptoms, a study reported. Three biomarkers — neurofilament light chain (NfL) and malondialdehyde (MDA), particularly, but also 24S-hydroxycholesterol (24S-HC) — were found at significantly…
A highly sensitive blood test accurately identified people with synucleinopathies, disorders caused by the abnormal aggregation of the protein alpha-synuclein, such as Parkinson’s disease. The test, called immunoprecipitation-based real-time quaking-induced conversion (IP/RT-QuIC), detected early-formed alpha-synuclein fibrils — or seeds — that eventually grew into disease-causing aggregates. Microscopic analysis detected…
People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were found to be at a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease or related neurodegenerative conditions, a small meta-analysis suggests. “The small number of studies to date provide preliminary evidence of an association between mid- to late-life onset PTSD and subsequent development of [Parkinson’s]…
An assay using skin biopsies, called the Syn-One Test, was able to detect the alpha-synuclein protein that characterizes Parkinson’s disease and like conditions in more than 90% of the patients enrolled in a clinical trial. “These results validate cutaneous [skin-based] alpha-synuclein as a reliable biomarker for Parkinson’s disease and…
A test called the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay, or alphaSyn-SAA, can detect Parkinson’s disease with high accuracy, a new study reveals. The research was conducted as part of the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), an international study led by the The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research…