Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

2014 DIA patient fellows illustrate the power of patient advocacy

The 2014 DIA patient fellows illustrate the power of patient advocacy. A Parkinson's disease patient is the driving force in the success of clinical trials, recruiting patients and transporting them to research sites while saving researchers thousands of dollars.

9 Jun 2014

Study heterogeneity hinders mortality predictions in Parkinson’s disease

Poor study quality and heterogeneity in study methods and patients make it difficult to determine the impact Parkinson’s disease has on mortality, UK researchers report.

6 Jun 2014

Healthy tissue grafted to brains of patients with Huntington's disease also develops signs of illness

A recent study published in Annals of Neurology reports that healthy human tissue grafted to the brains of patients with Huntington's disease in the hopes of treating the neurological disorder also developed signs of the illness, several years after the graft.

6 Jun 2014

Dopamine transporter availability predicts ICDs

Reduced striatal dopamine transporter availability is already present in patients with Parkinson’s disease who go on to develop impulse control disorders, a study shows.

5 Jun 2014

Researchers examine how high blood pressure in middle age affects memory and thinking in old age

New research suggests that high blood pressure in middle age plays a critical role in whether blood pressure in old age may affect memory and thinking.

5 Jun 2014

New gene involved in Parkinson's disease, find researchers

A team of UCLA researchers has identified a new gene involved in Parkinson's disease, a finding that may one day provide a target for a new drug to prevent and potentially even cure the debilitating neurological disorder.

5 Jun 2014

Study results suggest growing support for patient-centered care management

Primary care doctors practicing in a model of coordinated, team-based care that leverages health information technology are more likely to give patients recommended preventive screening and appropriate tests than physicians working in other settings, according to research published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

4 Jun 2014

Study warns against use of resveratrol supplements by pregnant women

A widely available dietary supplement that had been considered safe - and that some claim provides anti-aging and other health benefits - caused significant developmental abnormalities in the pancreas of offspring of pregnant monkeys who were given the supplement, according to a study published today in the FASEB Journal, from the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology.

3 Jun 2014

Experts from ProfNet network available to discuss timely issues in coverage area

Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing.

31 May 2014

Newron Pharmaceuticals submits safinamide NDA to FDA

Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. ("Newron"), a research and development company focused on novel CNS and pain therapies, and its partner Zambon S.p.A., an international pharmaceutical company strongly committed to the CNS therapeutic area with a long experience in respiratory disease therapies, woman care and primary care, announce that the New Drug Application (NDA) for safinamide was submitted today to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

30 May 2014

UCLA’s BrainSPORT Program earns $10M to research, treat sport concussions in youth

Philanthropist Steve Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants and an Academy Award-winning film producer, has pledged $10 million to the department of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA for the BrainSPORT Program, which has been renamed the UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program.

30 May 2014

New research shows how misfolded proteins are precisely selected for degradation

It's almost axiomatic that misfolded proteins compromise how cells normally function and cause debilitating human disease, but how these proteins are detected and degraded within the body is not well understood.

30 May 2014

People with high levels of cynical distrust more likely to develop dementia, says study

People with high levels of cynical distrust may be more likely to develop dementia, according to a study published in the May 28, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 May 2014

Tai Chi intervention offers anti-aging benefits, says study

Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art and sport, has been found to be beneficial in raising the numbers of an important type of cell when three groups of young people were tested to discover the benefits of Tai Chi, brisk walking or no exercise.

29 May 2014

New research program to understand and treat debilitating psychiatric disorders

Scientists and physicians at UC San Francisco (UCSF) are leading a $26 million, multi-institutional research program in which they will employ advanced technology to characterize human brain networks and better understand and treat a range of common, debilitating psychiatric disorders, focusing first on anxiety disorders and major depression.

28 May 2014

Neural engineers to develop techniques for dynamic deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulators, devices that zap Parkinson's disease tremors by sending electrical current deep into nerve centers near the brain stem, may sound like they are cutting-edge, but Rice University's Caleb Kemere wants to give them a high-tech overhaul.

28 May 2014

Group of 11 genes could help predict alcoholism risk

A group of 11 genes can successfully predict whether an individual is at increased risk of alcoholism, a research team from the United States and Germany reported Tuesday.

22 May 2014

New optical approach to brain scanning for patients with electronic implants

Scientists have advanced a brain-scanning technology that tracks what the brain is doing by shining dozens of tiny LED lights on the head. This new generation of neuroimaging compares favorably to other approaches but avoids the radiation exposure and bulky magnets the others require, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

20 May 2014

Presynaptic dopaminergic lesion predicts drug-induced dyskinesia

Research suggests that the extent of presynaptic dopaminergic denervation before starting therapy may predict which patients with Parkinson’s disease will later develop levodopa-induced dyskinesia.

19 May 2014

Scan may rule out Parkinson’s disease

Patients with clinical symptoms of early Parkinson’s disease but no evidence of dopaminergic deficit on brain imaging are unlikely to have the condition, say the PRECEPT Study investigators.

19 May 2014