Parkinson’s Protein Alpha-Synuclein Blocks Brain Growth Factor, Research Finds

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• The road ahead: 2020 January 5, 2020 Here at the SoPD, we are primarily interested in disease modification for Parkinson’s. While there is a great deal of interesting research exploring the causes of the condition, novel symptomatic therapies, and other aspects of Parkinson’s, my focus is generally on the science seeking to slow, stop or reverse the condition. At the start of each year, it is a…
• Monthly research review: February 2020 February 29, 2020   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during February 2020. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• 2019: Year in review December 31, 2019   In this end-of-year post, we review the Parkinson’s research that caught our attention at SoPD HQ in 2019. Month-by-month we will briefly discuss some of the major pieces of research/announcements that have defined the year and advanced our understanding of Parkinson’s. The list is based on nothing more than the author’s personal opinion – apologies to any researchers who…
• Monthly Research Review – November 2019 November 30, 2019   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during November 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Monthy research review – December 2019 December 30, 2019   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during December 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Monthly Research Review – November 2020 November 30, 2020   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during November 2020. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Conferences/lectures Other news…
• Monthly research review – October 2019 October 31, 2019   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during October 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Not dead, dormant dopamine neurons?!? January 18, 2020   Every textbook written about the condition will tell you that the classical pathological characteristic of Parkinson’s is the loss of dopamine neurons in the midbrain region of the brain. It is the distinguishing feature that pathologists look for in order to provide a postmortem diagnosis of the condition. But what is meant by the words ‘loss of dopamine neurons’?…
• Monthly Research Review: Jaunary 2020 January 31, 2020   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during January 2020. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology, Disease mechanism, Clinical research, New clinical trials, Clinical trial news, Other news, and…
• Monthly Research Review – September 2019 September 30, 2019   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during September 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Natural (born) killers January 28, 2020   Today’s post starts with more of a biology lesson than usual, but it is important to understand where in the grand scheme of things a certain type of blood cell sits. That type of blood cell has a really cool name: Natural killer cells. Recently researchers at the University of Georgia (USA) published a report suggesting that natural killer…
• Monthly Research Review – December 2020 December 31, 2020   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during December 2020. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Conferences/lectures Other news…
• TGF-beta: The Parkinson’s superfamily? December 12, 2020 # # # # A lot of Parkinson’s research has focused on a neurotrophic factor called glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (or GDNF). But GDNF only represents a small fraction of a much larger class of neurotrophic factors, called the Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily. Recently, researchers have been investigating some of the other TGF-β family members in preclinical models of…
• Neurological Mayhem by Dual Antioxidative and Anti-inflammatory Agents in Aged Parkinson’s Mice February 26, 2019 “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” Calvin Coolidge “The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it.” Abraham Lincoln Introduction: Recently, Jeff Keegan asked me if I had seen the paper by Gil-Martínez et al., an established Parkinson’s research group in Spain (click here to…
• Shining a light on Parkinson’s November 7, 2019   NOTE: The information in today’s post should not be considered an endorsement of PhotoPharmics or the treatment they are proposing. The author of this blog has had no communication with the company. The information in this post is provided because the author has been asked by readers to discuss it. In October 2018, at the annual International Movement Disorders…
• PARP-kinson’s goes chlorogenic December 20, 2020 # # # # For a long time it was been reported that coffee may be able to reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s, but the mechansim by which this association could be occurring has remained elusive. Now researchers from South Korea have discovered a biological pathway that could help to explain the protective association. It involves a protein called…
• The inflammasome field is heating up December 6, 2019   When a cell is sick or damaged it will send out signals alerting the immune system that something is wrong. If enough of these molecules are released, they will initate an “immune response” and this process is called inflammation. There is evidence in neurodegenerative conditions (like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s) that the inflammation process is involved, and inhibitors of particular…
• When miro just can’t let go October 8, 2019   Stanford University researchers have recently published an interesting report in which they not only propose a novel biomarker for Parkinson’s, but also provide some compelling data for a novel therapeutic approach. Their research focuses on a protein called Miro, which is involved in the removal of old or faulty mitochondria. Mitochondria are the power stations of each cells, providing…
• T-cells: First responders November 4, 2020 # # # # The cause of the cell loss and pathology associated with Parkinson’s is still unknown. While the later stages of the condition have been well investigated based on various pathological marker (ie Braak staging), the early manifestations of the condition are still a mystery. Cells of the immune system are early responders to any signs of trouble…
• Differentiating PD from MSA February 20, 2020   There is a lot of clinical and biological similarities between the neurodegenerative conditions of Parkinson’s and multiple systems atrophy (or MSA). Recently, however, researchers have published a report suggesting that these two conditions may be differentiated from each other using a technique analysing protein in the cerebrospinal fluid – the liquid surrounding the brain, that can be accessed via…
• 2020: Year in Review January 1, 2021 # # # # In this end-of-year post, we review the Parkinson’s research that caught our attention at SoPD HQ in 2020. Month-by-month we will briefly discuss some of the major pieces of research/ announcements that have defined the year and advanced our understanding of Parkinson’s. The list is based on nothing more than the author’s personal opinion – apologies…
• The Tau of LRRK2 December 3, 2019   Dense spherical clusters of a protein – called Lewy bodies – are one of the classical hallmarks of the Parkinsonian brain. They are a common pathological feature, but curiously they are not present in all cases of Parkinson’s. For example, some individuals with certain forms of Parkinson’s associated with specific genetic mutations do not exhibit any Lewy bodies. Variations…