Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Newron, Zambon announce re-submission of safinamide NDA to FDA

Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A., a research and development company focused on novel CNS and pain therapies, and its commercial and development partner Zambon S.p.A., an international pharmaceutical company, announced today that the NDA for safinamide has been re-submitted to the US FDA.

29 Dec 2014

FDA approves Namzaric drug for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease

Actavis plc and Adamas Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the New Drug Application (NDA) for Namzaric, a fixed-dose combination (FDC) of memantine hydrochloride extended-release, a NMDA receptor antagonist, and donepezil hydrochloride, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

25 Dec 2014

Transcranial direct current stimulation can help modify attention to threat

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a painless treatment strategy that uses weak electrical currents to deliver targeted stimulation to the brain via electrodes placed on the scalp. tDCS has shown promise in treating mood, anxiety, cognition, and some symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

24 Dec 2014

Mexican study shows mobility can be restored in patients with Parkinson's disease

Mexican scientists demonstrated experimentally, with adult rats, that mobility can be restored in patients with Parkinson's disease, the major degenerative disease of the motor system worldwide.

22 Dec 2014

AAN urges for more research on use of medical marijuana for brain, nervous system disorders

The American Academy of Neurology is calling for more research on the use of medical marijuana for brain, spine and nervous system disorders in a new position statement released by the AAN, the world's largest association of neurologists with more than 28,000 members.

18 Dec 2014

Migraine headache may double risk of nervous system condition that causes Bell's palsy

Migraine headache may double the risk of a nervous system condition that causes facial paralysis, called Bell's palsy, according to a new study published in the December 17, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Dec 2014

Interacting neurodegenerative changes promote Parkinson’s cognitive decline

Research indicates that neurodegeneration in the cholinergic system in the brain is a major contributor to cognitive decline in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

17 Dec 2014

MU researcher developing nano-scale molecules to image, treat different diseases

Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology, or the use of microscopic structures to diagnose, image, treat and prevent disease. Current problems in nanomedicine include understanding and anticipating the potentially toxic impact these nanostructures have on the body and the environment once they're released.

17 Dec 2014

Methamphetamine use may increase Parkinson's disease risk

In addition to incurring serious dental problems, memory loss and other physical and mental issues, methamphetamine users are three times more at risk for getting Parkinson's disease than non-illicit drug users, new research from the University of Utah and Intermountain Healthcare shows.

17 Dec 2014

Novel technique to identify biological markers in brain development

With a unique, multi-faceted approach, researchers at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development have quantified the effect of previously unidentified anomalies in genetic expression that determine how the human brain develops from its earliest stages.

17 Dec 2014

ARA 290 drug reduces neuropathic pain in type 2 diabetic patients

Molecular Medicine, a peer-reviewed biomedical journal published by the Feinstein Institute Press, published the results of a new study reporting clinically significant pain reduction in type 2 diabetic patients. In an exploratory study conducted by Araim Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company developing novel treatments for chronic diseases, investigators also observed improvements in metabolic control in patients administered ARA 290.

16 Dec 2014

Clinatec chairman receives Lifetime Achievement Award for breakthrough research on Parkinson's disease

Prof. Alim-Louis Benabid, board chairman of Clinatec - The Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center, received the Lifetime Achievement award on Dec. 13 from the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) for his work in developing deep brain stimulation to relieve symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients.

16 Dec 2014

Patients with Parkinson's disease have different microbiota in their intestines

Parkinson's disease sufferers have a different microbiota in their intestines than their healthy counterparts, according to a study conducted at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital. Researchers are now trying to determine what the connection between intestinal microbes and Parkinson's disease is.

12 Dec 2014

IRCM researchers uncover mechanism that regulates dopamine levels in the brain

Researchers in Montréal led by Jacques Drouin, D.Sc., uncovered a mechanism regulating dopamine levels in the brain by working on a mouse model of late onset Parkinson's disease.

12 Dec 2014

New study finds that poor sleep may lead to dementia

People who have sleep apnea or spend less time in deep sleep may be more likely to have changes in the brain that are associated with dementia, according to a new study published in the December 10, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Dec 2014

Report supports potential of focused ultrasound to treat certain OCD patients

A recently published report in the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry supports the potential of focused ultrasound to treat certain patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

10 Dec 2014

Clinical markers help identify PD patients with cholinergic deficits

Assessing patients for clinical markers of cholinergic system denervation is viable and can help identify suitable individuals for trials of new anticholinergic drugs, researchers believe.

9 Dec 2014

At-home test sniffs out prodromal Parkinson’s disease

An at-home olfactory test helps to identify people with an increased risk of having dopamine transporter imaging indicative of early Parkinson’s disease, show data from the Parkinson Associated Risk Syndrome study.

9 Dec 2014

BUSM's Carmela Abraham receives 2014 Massachusetts Neuroscience Consortium Award

Carmela Abraham, PhD, professor of biochemistry and pharmacology at Boston University School of Medicine, was one of six recipients of this year's Massachusetts Neuroscience Consortium Award out of nearly 60 applicants. The grant was awarded to her for her work on multiple sclerosis and the role of the life extension protein Klotho in the limited repair of white matter in the disease.

7 Dec 2014

Non-ergot derived dopamine agonists may be safe for the heart

Non-ergot derived dopamine agonists used to treat Parkinson's disease may be safe for the heart, according to preliminary research presented at EuroEcho-Imaging 2014 by Dr Hilal Erken Pamukcu, cardiologist at Ankara Diskapi Education and Research Hospital in Turkey.

4 Dec 2014