Genetic variants found in the DNA of mitochondria, the cell compartments that produce energy, were associated with the severity of Gulf War Illness (GWI), a chronic condition seen in Gulf War veterans that’s associated with environmental toxin exposure, a study found. The research team, led by scientists at the…

The use of medical cannabis in the U.S. has grown as more states legalize it, and programs listing Parkinson’s disease-related conditions, including muscle cramps, anxiety, and pain, have expanded from 28 states to 36 in just five years. Yet a survey found many doctors are not aware of the…

Exposure to nanoplastics, micro-sized fragments of plastic waste found in the environment, mimicked the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in tiny worms and in human nerve cells in the lab, a study reported. Low concentrations of nanoplastics were found to penetrate the walls of the worms’ intestines and…

Factors such as exposure to environmental toxins and repeated blows to the head — all of which can be reduced with prevention efforts — may account for nearly 1 in 3 cases of Parkinson’s disease among men, and 1 in 4 among women. That’s according to a study of…

Exposure to high concentrations of copper accelerates the formation of toxic clumps of the alpha-synuclein protein — a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, a study shows. The study, “Single-Particle Resolution of Copper-Associated Annular α‑Synuclein Oligomers Reveals Potential Therapeutic Targets of Neurodegeneration,” was published in the journal…

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is associated significantly with a higher risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study from Korea. The finding reinforces previous research showing a potential link between air pollution and Parkinson’s. The results also prompted researchers to suggest that better air pollution regulations might lower…

Prolonged, low-level inhalation of the common weed-killer paraquat, implicated in the risk of Parkinson’s disease, caused male mice to lose at least some of their sense of smell, a study reports. This work also supported previous studies showing the inhaled chemical enters the brain via the olfactory nerve.

Long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution does not directly contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease later in life, results from a Dutch study suggest. Still, non-smoking women and people with long-term residential stability were found to be at greater risk of developing the disease, according to the study. The…