Parkinson’s Research News

Writing in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, Rick C. Helmich, MD, PhD, and Bastiaan R. Bloem, MD, PhD, of the Radboud University Medical Centre; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior; Department of Neurology; Centre of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders; Nijmegen, the Netherlands say, “The pathophysiology of PD puts patients at an increased risk of chronic stress, and ... read more

  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: ... read more

      Neurotrophic factors are naturally occuring proteins that help to keep neurons alive, provide a supportive environment, and encourage growth. For a long time, researchers have been exploring methods of utilising the power of neurotrophic factors in regenerative strategies for neurodegenerative conditions, ... read more

  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 ... read more

  The results of a small clinical study evaluating the safety and tolerability of Ursodeoxycholic acid (or UDCA) in people with Parkinson’s have recently been published. UDCA is a naturally occurring bile acid that is used in the treatment of gallstones. More recently, ... read more

“The cumulative incidence of dementia associated with PD is approaching 80%, and individuals with PD are five to six times more likely to develop cognitive impairment than age-matched controls,” explained lead investigator Gabriele Saretzki, PhD, Biosciences Institute, and The Ageing Biology Centre at the Campus for Ageing and Vitality of Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. “PD is known to ... read more

“The cumulative incidence of dementia associated with PD is approaching 80%, and individuals with PD are five to six times more likely to develop cognitive impairment than age-matched controls,” explained lead investigator Gabriele Saretzki, PhD, Biosciences Institute, and The Ageing Biology Centre at the Campus for Ageing and Vitality of Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. “PD is known to ... read more

Studies have shown the enormous benefits of exercise in many disorders including neurodegenerative diseases, but the reasons are not always clear. “Exercise seems to protect against the motor symptoms of PD but not necessarily against the brain damage caused by PD,” explained co-lead investigator Tomas T. Olsson, MD, Department of Neurology, Skåne University Hospital, and Department of Experimental Medical Science, ... read more

Studies have shown the enormous benefits of exercise in many disorders including neurodegenerative diseases, but the reasons are not always clear. “Exercise seems to protect against the motor symptoms of PD but not necessarily against the brain damage caused by PD,” explained co-lead investigator Tomas T. Olsson, MD, Department of Neurology, Skåne University Hospital, and Department of Experimental Medical Science, ... read more

   Recently two independent research groups published scientific papers providing evidence that a genetic variation associated with Alzheimer’s may also be affecting the severity of pathology in Parkinson’s. The genetic variation associated with Alzheimer’s occurs in a gene (a functional region of DNA) called ApoE, ... read more

  A regular theme of the SoPD website is the reviewing of novel phamarcological treatments that are being tested on models of Parkinson’s. And while the breadth of the research is exciting and encouraging, the average reader may feel distant to the results ... read more

  A regular theme of the SoPD website is the reviewing of novel phamarcological treatments that are being tested on models of Parkinson’s. And while the breadth of the research is exciting and encouraging, the average reader may feel distant to the results ... read more

   Speeding up the clinical development process is a shared goal across many medical conditions (not just Parkinson’s and neurodegeneration), and there are many different approaches to achieving this that are being explored. Some of these approaches could be considered to ... read more

   Speeding up the clinical development process is a shared goal across many medical conditions (not just Parkinson’s and neurodegeneration), and there are many different approaches to achieving this that are being explored. Some of these approaches could be considered to ... read more

Sleep disorders are the second most common complaint in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), affecting up to 78.3% of patients and having severe impact on quality of life. Many patients fail hypnotic therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. In addition, many pharmacological treatments carry added risks in patients with PD (eg, increased risk of falls). The majority of existing ... read more

  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: ... read more

  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: ... read more

  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: ... read more

Biomedical scientists have discovered that a defect in the ATP13A2 gene causes cell death by disrupting the cellular transport of polyamines. When this happens in the part of the brain that controls body movement, it can lead to Parkinson's disease. ... read more

Biomedical scientists have discovered that a defect in the ATP13A2 gene causes cell death by disrupting the cellular transport of polyamines. When this happens in the part of the brain that controls body movement, it can lead to Parkinson's disease. ... read more

Biomedical scientists have discovered that a defect in the ATP13A2 gene causes cell death by disrupting the cellular transport of polyamines. When this happens in the part of the brain that controls body movement, it can lead to Parkinson's disease. ... read more

  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 ... read more

  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 ... read more

People who develop Parkinson's disease before age 50 may have been born with disordered brain cells that went undetected for decades, according to new research. The research points to a drug that potentially might help correct these disease processes. ... read more

People who develop Parkinson's disease before age 50 may have been born with disordered brain cells that went undetected for decades, according to new research. The research points to a drug that potentially might help correct these disease processes. ... read more