Scientist Wenquan Zou, MD, PhD, has received a two-year grant to develop a non-invasive skin test for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Diagnosing these disorders currently requires invasive analysis, either by imaging brain tissue or analyzing the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the…

Women with advanced Parkinson’s disease who are homebound are more likely to live alone and may face greater barriers to accessing support. That finding comes from the study, “Sex-related differences in homebound advanced Parkinson’s disease patients,” which was published in Clinical Interventions in Aging. Parkinson’s motor…

Contrary to current knowledge, alpha-synuclein protein — whose toxic form is responsible for the formation of Lewy bodies — may play a crucial role in preventing cell death by repairing damaged DNA, a study has found. This critical function of the protein may also be lost in Parkinson’s patients, its…

A molecule called GM1 ganglioside may protect the brain against the molecular changes associated with Parkinson’s disease progression, and may one day directly treat its neurodegenerative processes, according to an early study. The study, “GM1 Ganglioside Modifies α-Synuclein Toxicity and is Neuroprotective in a Rat α-Synuclein Model of…

Oxidative stress may be a trigger for Parkinson’s and can promote its progression by facilitating the spread of toxic alpha-synuclein protein across cells, researchers report. Their study, “Oxidative stress in vagal neurons promotes parkinsonian pathology and intercellular α-synuclein transfer,” was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Parkinson’s is…

A protein that has sugar molecules attached to it, called neurexin 1-beta, helps alpha-synuclein enter and accumulate within neurons contributing to the progression of Parkinson’s disease, a study has found. The study, “Identification of N-linked glycans as specific mediators of neuronal uptake of acetylated α-Synuclein,” was published in…

Small amounts of a particular form of alpha-synuclein, known as beta-sheet, may cause a significant loss of dopamine-releasing neurons by recruiting more alpha-synuclein molecules, leading to Parkinson’s-like symptoms and disease progression, according to a recent lab study. The study, “Defining α-synuclein species responsible for Parkinson disease phenotypes…

Seelos Therapeutics has acquired the rights for a gene therapy program targeting the regulation of the SNCA gene, which provides instructions to make alpha-synuclein, a key player in the development of Parkinson’s disease. The accumulation of abnormal (misfolded) alpha-synuclein protein can result in toxic aggregates that lead…

Altered forms of the alpha-synuclein protein travel along the vagus nerve from the gut to the brain where they accumulate, according to a study in mice. It also suggests that blocking this transport could prevent the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The work lends support to theories that Parkinson’s begins…

Enterin Inc has enrolled the first patient in its Phase 1b DEMET clinical trial investigating the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of small molecule ENT-01 to treat Parkinson’s disease dementia. Contacts and locations of participating sites can be found here. Many neurodegenerative disorders involve aggregation of misfolded (harmful)…