Depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which occurs in people with Parkinson’s disease, disrupts the balance of motor pathways in the basal ganglia, a group of interconnected structures in the brain that facilitate movement, a study found. “We found that the relative strength of the two motor pathways switches in…

In people with Parkinson’s disease, the cerebral cortex of the brain can compensate for disease-related dysfunction in the basal ganglia, the main part of the brain affected by Parkinson’s. Researchers found that patients with milder Parkinson’s symptoms have more compensatory activity in the cerebral cortex, while patients with…

Drinking more than three beers or about three large glasses of wine per week is associated significantly with higher iron levels in several brain regions, which is linked to worse cognitive function. That’s according to a study from the United Kingdom involving nearly 21,000 people — likely representing the largest…

Using a personalized “virtual brain” could help in determining the optimal configuration of deep brain stimulation for people with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders, a study suggests. “We offer a computational model that holds the potential to be easily translated towards the individual patient level and used as…

Insoluble clumps of the alpha-synuclein protein accumulating in the brain — a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease — can affect patients’ voice, with changes likely occurring years before they develop motor symptoms, a new study suggests. The research, which used the zebra finch — a songbird native to Australia —…

A neural map of the brain region central to Parkinson’s disease opens the possibility of new ways to treat this disorder and others that stem from damage to the nerve cells found there. The map, detailed in a recent study, might enable researchers to understand how specific nerve damage…

Seemingly simple reach-to-grasp tasks rely on more complex interactions between two specific types of nerve cells in the basal ganglia — the brain region that controls movement and is mainly affected in Parkinson’s disease — than previously thought, a study in mice shows. The data highlighted that both types…

The association between dopamine levels and electric brain signals called beta waves — thought to be of an opposite nature based on data from people with Parkinson’s disease — is more complex than previously thought, a study in non-human primates shows. The data, collected through a new chemo-electric platform,…

Secondary parkinsonism can be caused by a cavernoma — a cluster of abnormal blood vessels — located in a brain region involved in voluntary movement control, a case report shows. The case-study, ”Nine-years follow-up of cavernoma located in basal ganglia mimicking Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal…

Rescuing the activity of neurons in the subthalamic nucleus — part of a brain region that controls movement — lessens motor dysfunction in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a recent study. The “study argues that the loss of this intrinsic activity promotes abnormal synchronization and…