Scientists have linked the clumping of alpha-synuclein protein to Parkinson’s disease, and a study in mice indicates that the clumps accumulate and spread by interacting with the protein responsible for mad cow disease. What scientists call the cellular prion protein, or PrPc, is associated with the development of a number…

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma has asked Japanese authorities to approve its Trerief (zonisamide) as a new therapy for parkinsonism in dementia patients with Lewy bodies, the company announced in a press release. Trerief went on sale in Japan in March 2009 as a treatment for Parkinson’s patients who saw insufficient…

In an unexpected finding, researchers demonstrated that certain asthma drugs might protect from developing Parkinson’s disease by lowering the production of the disease-linked protein alpha-synuclein. But researchers caution against attempting to medicate with such drugs before clinical trials establish they are safe in this patient group, and that they really…

AstraZeneca has partnered with Takeda Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialize the alpha-synuclein antibody MEDI1341 for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. MEDI1341 is expected to enter a Phase 1 clinical trial later this year. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will supervise…

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania developed a strategy using fluorescence that allows them to track alpha-synuclein protein and follow its path inside neurons. This is important because while scientists know that alpha-synuclein protein is involved in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, they aren’t exactly certain how the process functions. These new…

While the exact cause of Parkinson’s disease is currently unknown, scientists have come up with four possible theories according to the Mayo Clinic. 1. Genetics 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 runs in the…

Parkinson’s disease may in part be driven by autoimmune processes, according to researchers who discovered that certain immune cells react to alpha-synuclein — a protein that accumulates in the brains of Parkinson’s patients. The findings, published in the journal Nature, raise the possibility that immunotherapy could be used to…

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…