A five-year project funded by a $5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant will study how the brain regulates movements, by allowing people with Parkinson’s disease to play video games during brain surgeries. The goal, according to researchers, is to obtain information that can be applied to…

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…

Dopaminergic therapy may ease difficulties with gesturing and using tools in people with Parkinson’s disease by improving brain connectivity between the cognitive and motor regions, a study has found. The study results, “Dopaminergic modulation of the praxis network in Parkinson’s disease,” were published in NeuroImage: Clinical.

Levodopa treatment can prevent movement impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease by increasing overall sensory attenuation, or the ability to fine-tune information received from the senses before a motor action is performed, a study suggests. Based on these findings, researchers suggest that dopamine, which increases as a result of…

Use of sensor-based methods to evaluate gait can improve individual assessments of Parkinson’s disease patients who are undergoing dopaminergic treatment, researchers suggest. The study with that finding, “Sensor-based gait analysis of individualized improvement during apomorphine titration in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the Journal of Neurology.

Parkinson’s disease patients who have a tendency to fall use different strategies to control their balance than those who do not fall, according to a recent study. The study, “Fallers with Parkinson’s disease exhibit restrictive trunk control during walking,” was published in Gait and Posture. Due…

The findings of a Harvard University study are furthering understanding of the mechanisms involved in movement disorders and may open new therapeutic opportunities to treat Parkinson’s disease. The mouse study, “The Striatum Organizes 3D Behavior via Moment-to-Moment Action Selection,” was published in the journal Cell. The brain relies…

Unexpected external stimulus, such as a sound or visual cue, can act as an alarm for the brain to detect a dangerous situation, according to a study that has implications for Parkinson’s disease. These sensory triggers were found to promote an inhibitory signal from the brain to quickly stop muscles…

An optimal Parkinson’s disease treatment would need to target both accelerator and brake functions in the brain to be effective without producing side effects like the jerky movements associated with L-dopa treatment. Using an advanced method to manipulate the activity in the two brain pathways that act as the accelerator…

Researchers have found a link between neuronal activity and the strength of gripping force created during a physical action, according to a new study. This discovery may help understanding of what mechanisms contribute to abnormal movement in patients with Parkinson’s disease, and provide new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of…