Psychosis is the term used when patients experience hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations are more likely to occur in the later stages of Parkinson’s disease, but younger and newly diagnosed patients may also experience them. Delusions are less common and only affect around 8 percent of people living with the diseases. According…

New research shows that alpha-synuclein is expressed in the enteroendocrine cells (EECs) of the intestine, which are directly connected to nerves that contain α-synuclein, forming a neural circuit between the gut and the nervous system. In this manner, external toxins and other environmental influences could aid in the misfolding of…

  In this video from Consumer Health Digest, Dr. Ron Desi talks about the basics of Parkinson’s disease and how the progressive neurodegenerative disease affects the body. MORE: How does Parkinson’s disease affect the brain? Dr. Desi explains that Parkinson’s disease usually develops in middle to late…

Researchers at two world-renowned institutions have presented a new theory of how Parkinson’s disease (PD) and its symptoms develop— challenging the dominant view that PD emerges as the protein alpha-synuclein spreads from neuron to neuron in an infection-like manner. In an opinion piece, “The Threshold Theory for Parkinson’s Disease,” the two…

Axovant Sciences has announced the preliminary results of a Phase 2 clinical trial testing the investigational oral drug therapy nelotanserin in patients with either dementia caused by Lewy bodies (DLB), or Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). Nelotanserin is an investigational drug candidate that binds to a receptor of the central…

A treatment widely used to help prevent rejection in organ transplants, called tacrolimus, appears to work to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD) and ideally should be tested in early-stage patients, researchers report. Tacrolimus, marketed under brand names including Prograf, works to suppress the immune system. It is used at high dose with…

While the exact cause of Parkinson’s disease is currently unknown, scientists have come up with four possible theories according to the Mayo Clinic. There are certain genes which, when they become mutated, cause Parkinson’s disease. However, these mutated genes are very rare, except in cases where Parkinson’s…

Squalamine, a natural product known for its cancer- and infection-fighting qualities, has shown promise as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, according to preliminary results of a new study. The research, “A Natural Product Inhibits The Initiation Of α-Synuclein Aggregation And Suppresses Its Toxicity,” was published in the journal…