The brain weakens unused neural connections in the striatum, a region involved in motor control and decision-making, through a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism that appears to be disrupted in Parkinson’s disease, a study in mice suggests. According to the researchers, these findings reveal some of the molecular mechanisms underlying the…

Heavier coffee drinkers, based on the number of cups consumed daily, have a lower volume of the striatum, a brain region affected in Parkinson’s disease, whether or not they have Parkinson’s, a study from China using MRI data reported. Regular coffee consumption, without an emphasis on cups per day,…

Scientists have developed a new technique that can detect Parkinson’s disease-related degeneration in a part of the brain, called the striatum, that’s key to movement. This type of analysis — which can be done for individuals with early-stage Parkinson’s — will allow researchers to distinguish different subgroups within this…

A new technique allowed researchers to label with specificity proteins inside neurons of the striatum — a brain region involved in voluntary movement control — within a living mouse. These findings may help scientists better understand the millions of distinct proteins in the brain and their interactions within neurons (nerve…

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…

Two small clinical trials are assessing MRI-guided focused ultrasound as a nonsurgical alternative for targeting the striatum — a brain region involved in voluntary movement control — to better treat Parkinson’s patients and possibly stop disease progression. Both trials, in Spain and Canada, are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of MRI-guided…

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,…

A new computer algorithm that guides intracerebral injections to improve drug delivery to the brain has been developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The new technology, dubbed COMMAND (computational mapping algorithms for neural drug delivery), was designed to effectively deliver therapeutic molecules to specific brain structures,…

Scientists have uncovered a new therapeutic molecule, called BT13, that can get to the brain to boost dopamine levels — the brain chemical that’s in short supply in Parkinson’s disease — and could potentially protect against neurodegeneration. While the research is in the early stages, and the molecule…

High levels of urate in the blood may help preserve dopamine-producing neurons and be used as a biomarker of positive outcomes in men newly-diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a study says. The study, “Sex dependent association of urate on the patterns of striatal dopamine depletion in…