Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

New brain study affirms truth in age old theory 'practice makes perfect'

'Practice makes perfect' may be a cliché but a new brain study out of York U affirms this age old theory. In this study, Faculty of Health researchers were looking at fMRI brain scans of professional ballet dancers to measure the long-term effects of learning.

1 Feb 2016

Graphene-based electrodes could be safely implanted in the brain

Researchers have successfully demonstrated how it is possible to interface graphene - a two-dimensional form of carbon - with neurons, or nerve cells, while maintaining the integrity of these vital cells. The work may be used to build graphene-based electrodes that can safely be implanted in the brain, offering promise for the restoration of sensory functions for amputee or paralysed patients, or for individuals with motor disorders such as epilepsy or Parkinson's disease.

31 Jan 2016

Remicade co-developer funds new microscopy facility on Scripps Florida campus

The co-developer of Remicade, one of the three top-selling drugs in the world, has donated more than $500,000 to fund what will be known as the Iris and Junming Le Foundation Super-Resolution Microscopy Facility on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute.

30 Jan 2016

New treatment could stop progression of ALS

Researchers at Oregon State University announced today that they have essentially stopped the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, for nearly two years in one type of mouse model used to study the disease - allowing the mice to approach their normal lifespan.

29 Jan 2016

Study could open door for new treatment targets to help Parkinson's disease patients walk more easily

Two secrets of one of the brain's most enigmatic regions have finally been revealed. In a pair of new studies, scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have discovered a specific neural circuit that controls walking, and they found that input to this circuit is disrupted in Parkinson's disease.

29 Jan 2016

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor linked to slower cognitive decline in older people

Older people with higher amounts of a key protein in their brains also had slower decline in their memory and thinking abilities than people with lower amounts of protein from the gene called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, according to a study published in the January 27, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jan 2016

NTCELL stops Parkinson’s disease progression one year after treatment

Over a year after treatment all four patients who took part in Living Cell Technologies Limited’s Phase I/IIa clinical study of NTCELL® for Parkinson’s disease remain well, and at 58 weeks post-implant there are no safety concerns.

28 Jan 2016

Chronic exposure to environmental toxin may up risk of neurodegenerative illness

A new study published today in the science journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B indicates that chronic exposure to an environmental toxin may increase risk of neurodegenerative illness. Conducted by scientists at the Institute for EthnoMedicine, a non-profit medical research organization, and the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank, the study provides a foundation for future research in Alzheimer's disease, ALS and Parkinson's disease.

25 Jan 2016

Physiotherapy ‘should be targeted’ in Parkinson’s disease

Physical and occupational therapy does not deliver quality of life benefits for patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease, a randomised trial shows.

22 Jan 2016

Study shows African-Americans may not be at higher risk for second stroke

Even though young African-Americans are at three times greater risk of a first stroke than their white counterparts, they may not be at a higher risk for a second stroke, according to a study published in the January 20, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study is one of the first of its kind to look at race and second stroke risk.

21 Jan 2016

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy not effective in patients with Parkinson's disease

New research from the University of Birmingham has shown that physiotherapy and occupational therapy do not produce improvements in quality of life for patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease.

20 Jan 2016

Aerobic exercise training may slow progression of Parkinson's disease

You've likely heard this before: Exercise is good for you. It helps your heart, bones, back and more. But here's one thing you might not have heard: Ongoing aerobic exercise may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system.

20 Jan 2016

Common mortality causes prevail in epilepsy patients

A prospective, community-based study confirms that patients with epilepsy usually die of the same causes as other people.

19 Jan 2016

Anticholinesterase offers a ‘steadying hand’ to PD patients

The dementia drug rivastigmine may reduce the risk of falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease by improving gait stability, findings from the phase II ReSponD trial show.

19 Jan 2016

Weight loss may mark rapid Parkinson’s disease progression

Weight loss in patients with early Parkinson’s disease is associated with worsening motor function, research shows.

19 Jan 2016

Johns Hopkins study shows high doses of cocaine kill brain cells

Working with mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have contributed significant new evidence to support the idea that high doses of cocaine kill brain cells by triggering overactive autophagy, a process in which cells literally digest their own insides. Their results, moreover, bring with them a possible antidote, an experimental compound dubbed CGP3466B.

19 Jan 2016

Health Canada approves immunotherapy clinical study to treat Epstein-Barr virus-related lymphomas

Health Canada recently approved, for the first time in Canada, a clinical project for a Phase I study aimed at treating lymphomas associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) through adoptive cellular immunotherapy that is specific to EBV.

18 Jan 2016

Anti-cancer drug uses 50 times less chemo to effectively destroy drug-resistant lung cancer

The cancer drug paclitaxel just got more effective. For the first time, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have packaged it in containers derived from a patient's own immune system, protecting the drug from being destroyed by the body's own defenses and bringing the entire payload to the tumor.

18 Jan 2016

University of Copenhagen researchers develop new cell line to investigate brain drugs

Researchers from the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Copenhagen have developed a cell line, which may be used to investigate new drugs and help predict whether they are able to enter the brain.

18 Jan 2016

Researchers reveal secondary structure of Lewy bodies in the brain of Parkinson's disease patients

Lewy bodies had been considered to be a key element of pathogenesis for Parkinson's disease. Although structural analysis for Lewy bodies with an electron microscope had been performed, it had no secondary structural information of proteins, which is important for the development of drugs.

13 Jan 2016