Note: This story was updated March 13, 2025, to correct that the company’s proprietary software is not available as a downloadable smartphone app. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has listed MR-005, MedRhythms’ digital therapeutic platform using rhythmic beats to help with walking in…

Researchers at Harvard and Boston universities have adapted a soft, robotic wearable device to help mitigate the effects of gait freezing, a potentially disabling Parkinson’s disease symptom marked by patients feeling like their feet are stuck to the floor, and they’re unable to take another step. The device or…

A one-hour group singing session significantly eased problems with walking and posture, as well as tremors, in adults with Parkinson’s disease who were on stable medication, a small study reported. While no significant benefits were seen for speech and facial expression, or for bradykinesia (slowness of movement), patients taking…

A four-week, task-specific exercise program done at home can improve turning ability and balance, and ease disease severity for people with early- to mid-stage Parkinson’s, a small study suggested. This Parkinson’s exercise program focuses explicitly on rotating those parts of the body most involved in turning. It may be…

The European Patent Office (EPO) has nominated a 22-year-old woman for its inaugural Young Inventors prize in recognition of her artificial intelligence (AI)-powered app that can detect Parkinson’s disease early through facial expressions and might assist in work toward better Parkinson’s treatments. Erin Smith of San Francisco is…

One month of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS), administered at home using a hand-held device by electroCore, improved walking and motor abilities, and eased freezing of gait in adults with Parkinson’s disease, according to data from a small clinical trial. Freezing of gait refers to a patient’s feeling for…

Fatigue may compromise and predict Parkinson’s patients’ mobility and their ability to walk over long distances, according to a recent study. The results of the study, “Can fatigue predict walking capacity of patients with Parkinson’s disease?” were published in Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria. Lack of energy, or…

Backward walking is significantly impaired and associated with motor symptoms and fear of falling in newly diagnosed Parkinson’s patients, a small Korean study suggests. These results point to backward walking parameters as potential biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease progression. The researchers called for future studies investigating the dynamics of backward walking in…