Mutations in the LRP10 gene are associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases with Lewy bodies formation, such as Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, according to a recent study. The study, “LRP10 genetic variants in familial Parkinson’s disease and dementia with…

Ways of better diagnosing and treating Parkinson’s patients may lie in developing biomarkers, inhibitors, and stem cells therapies that are based on an enzyme newly identified in research into this disease, called soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), a commentary article suggests. The opinion piece, “Fatty acid chemical mediator provides insights…

Impaired intake of neurotransmitters leads to accumulation of toxic dopamine and neurodegeneration in patients with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. The study, “LRRK2 phosphorylation of auxilin mediates synaptic defects in dopaminergic neurons from patients with Parkinson’s disease,” appeared in the journal…

A mutation common to familial Parkinson’s was seen in a study focused on tuberculosis to prevent immune cells of the brain from working properly, allowing protein to accumulate in nerve cells — and, potentially, to this specific disease’s development. The study, “LRRK2 is a negative regulator of Mycobacterium tuberculosis…

Affiris’ experimental Parkinson’s vaccine, Affitope PD01A, is safe and effectively triggers an immune response against the alpha-synuclein (aSyn) protein, data from a series of four consecutive clinical trials show. Results from the so-called AFF008 study program were recently presented at the Advances in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Therapies Focus Meeting (AAT-AD/PD) in…

Different brain cells determine which form of alpha-synuclein will be responsible for different Parkinson’s-related disorders, a new study suggests. The research, “Cellular milieu imparts distinct pathological α-synuclein strains in α-synucleinopathies,” was published in the journal Nature. Aggregates of the protein alpha-synuclein are characteristic of Parkinson’s, Lewy body…

Scientists are closer to understanding how toxic alpha-synuclein (α-syn) aggregates affect the nerve cells involved in memory, which may point to new therapeutic strategies to prevent the development of cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementias. The study, “α-Synuclein fibril-induced paradoxical structural and functional defects in…

Blocking an enzyme associated with inflammation and disease progression in Parkinson’s patients may by a promising way of  treating this neurodegenerative disorder, new research suggests. The study, “Soluble epoxide hydrolase plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal Proceedings of the…

Charles River Laboratories International and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) extended their collaboration to accelerate the discovery of Parkinson’s disease therapies. The extension covers grants from MJFF to characterize two animal models of Parkinson’s — one where mice do not express alpha-synuclein (knockout), and another…

Deregulation of calcium levels in nerve cells has been linked to early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Now, researchers at Aarhus University have found that inhibition of a protein called SERCA can prevent calcium variations and protect nerve cells from degeneration. This finding may open new therapeutic avenues to treat…