Movement Disorder News and Research

Latest Movement Disorder News and Research

$Enrollment commences in MORE Registry for DBS in patients with refractory epilepsy$

Enrollment commences in MORE Registry for DBS in patients with refractory epilepsy

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that a patient from Kempenhaeghe-Heeze (The Netherlands) is the first patient to be enrolled into the MORE (MedtrOnic Registry for Epilepsy) Registry which is designed to look at the long-term efficacy, quality of life impact and safety of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with refractory epilepsy.

From Medtronic 17 Mar 2012

CME conference on deep brain stimulation for movement disorders

CME Conference for physicians and health care professionals on deep brain stimulation for movement disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression

14 Mar 2012

Allon advances into second phase of work in preclinical PD model

Allon Therapeutics Inc. announced today the completion of its first phase of work in a preclinical Parkinson's disease model and advancement into the second phase of work. Both phases are funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and carried out by Prof. Marie-Francoise Chesselet's lab at the University of California Los Angeles.

12 Mar 2012

Scientists identify gene that causes adult-onset primary cervical dystonia

Researchers have identified a gene that causes adult-onset primary cervical dystonia, an often-painful condition in which patients' necks twist involuntarily.

5 Mar 2012

Helmholtz Association grant for research on diseases caused by protein misfolding

Professor Erich Wanker of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and of the Excellence Cluster Neurocure is to receive EUR 675 000 in funding from the Helmholtz Association over the next two years. The grant shall be used to accelerate the search for active agents to treat diseases that are caused by protein misfolding. These include Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

24 Feb 2012

AAN announces recipients of 2012 scientific research awards

Nearly two dozen scientific research awards are being bestowed on researchers around the world this year by the American Academy of Neurology, the world's largest association of neurologists. The awards will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21-28, 2012, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

22 Feb 2012

Deep brain stimulation can also affect respiratory function

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a common treatment for patients with chronic pain or movement disorders. Now a unique set of experiments shows that electrical stimulation in some of the same brain areas can also affect respiratory function, according to a study in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

16 Feb 2012

23andMe, Cleveland Clinic to discover how genes and environment influence PD

In an effort to study the interactions between genomics and Parkinson's disease, Cleveland Clinic has joined the ongoing efforts of 23andMe, a leading personal genetics company, to recruit Parkinson's patients to participate in research by contributing their DNA to a research database and completing online surveys about their health.

15 Feb 2012

Tai chi could benefit Parkinson’s disease patients

A new study found that a six-month program of Tai Chi exercises helped people with various stages of Parkinson's disease improve stability, their ability to walk and reduced the frequency of falls.

12 Feb 2012

Alexithymia associated with depression in de novo PD patients

Alexithymia has been found to be strongly associated with depression in both general and clinical populations. Alexithymic and depressive symptoms may be partially overlapping, but not all are correlated with depressive symptoms, thus underlining the relative independence of the two disorders. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a clinical condition often characterized by depression and an altered emotional processing. In medicated PD patients alexithymia has a prevalence of 21% and is related to depression.

23 Jan 2012

Researchers discover gene that causes benign familial infantile epilepsy

A team of Australian researchers has come a step closer to unlocking a mystery that causes epileptic seizures in babies.

17 Jan 2012

Neuronal energy deficit may cause Parkinson's disease

Scientists at the University of York have made a significant step forward in isolating the cause of Parkinson's disease in younger adults.

17 Jan 2012

Source of infantile epilepsy found in a gene

Researchers from Adelaide have discovered a 20-year mystery about a type of epilepsy in infants. It is caused by a single mutation in one gene they found. The discovery will allow for better screening, diagnosis and prediction of the risk of seizures for sufferers of benign familial infantile epilepsy, the researchers say.

16 Jan 2012

DBS safe and effective for patients with advanced Parkinson's

Researchers from the University of Florida and 14 additional medical centers reported results today in the online version of The Lancet Neurology journal indicating that deep brain stimulation - also known as DBS - is effective at improving motor symptoms and quality of life in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

12 Jan 2012

Children with chronic sleep problems may develop mental health disorders later in life

Children who have chronic sleep problems may be much more likely to develop mental health disorders as adolescents and adults, according to Candice Alfano, associate professor in clinical psychology at the University of Houston (UH) and director of the new Sleep and Anxiety Center for Kids (SACK).

11 Jan 2012

Ipsen, Oncodesign partner to discover and develop LRRK2 kinase inhibitors against PD

Oncodesign, a Drug Discovery company and Oncology pharmacology service provider, and Ipsen, a global specialty-driven pharmaceutical company, announced today that the two companies have entered into a research collaboration to discover and develop innovative LRRK2 kinase inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents against Parkinson's Disease and for potential additional uses in other therapeutic areas.

5 Jan 2012

RGS9-2 gene plays a role in regulating body weight

Abraham Kovoor was studying a brain protein, called RGS9 2, that he had previously related to the involuntary, random and repetitive body movements that are side effects of drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

5 Jan 2012

Researchers identify gene that causes PKD/IC in infants

A large, international team of researchers led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco has identified the gene that causes a rare childhood neurological disorder called PKD/IC, or "paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia with infantile convulsions," a cause of epilepsy in babies and movement disorders in older children.

17 Dec 2011

People with Parkinson's exhibit increased arm swing during early stages

People with Parkinson's disease swing their arms asymmetrically -- one arm swings less than the other -- when walking. This unusual movement is easily detected early when drugs and other interventions may help slow the disease, according to Penn State researchers who used inexpensive accelerometers on the arms of Parkinson's disease patients to measure arm swing.

14 Dec 2011

New exercise and memory study for Parkinson's disease patients

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Baltimore VA Medical Center have launched a study of exercise and computerized memory training to see if those activities may help people with Parkinson's disease prevent memory changes. The type of memory that will be examined is known as "executive function;" it allows people to take in information and use it in a new way.

13 Dec 2011