Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Retinal cells require vitamin C to function properly

Nerve cells in the eye require vitamin C in order to function properly - a surprising discovery that may mean vitamin C is required elsewhere in the brain for its proper functioning, according to a study by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

16 Jul 2011

Researchers discover new gene mutation associated with Parkinson's

Researchers have discovered a new gene mutation they say causes Parkinson's disease. The mutation was identified in a large Swiss family with Parkinson's disease, using advanced DNA sequencing technology.

16 Jul 2011

ECG results for young athletes prone to misinterpretation

Pediatric cardiologists are prone to misinterpreting electrocardiograms when using the results to determine whether young athletes have heart defects that could make exercising perilous, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. This is the first research to examine the acumen of pediatric cardiologists from several health-care institutions in using ECGs to detect rare heart conditions associated with sudden cardiac death.

15 Jul 2011

NSF announces $18.5M grant to establish new engineering research center

The National Science Foundation today announced an $18.5 million grant to establish an Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering based at the University of Washington.

15 Jul 2011

UTHealth enrolls first patient in new stem cell therapy trial for ischemic stroke

The first Texas patient has been enrolled by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in the country's first double-blind clinical trial studying the safety and efficacy of an innovative stem cell therapy that can be given up to 19 days after an ischemic stroke.

15 Jul 2011

Michael J. Fox Foundation awards Impax $400,000 grant for research of IPX066 for Parkinson’s disease

Impax Pharmaceuticals, the branded products division of Impax Laboratories, Inc., has been awarded funding of up to $400,000 by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for ongoing clinical research of the Company's investigational carbidopa-levodopa extended release (CD-LD ER) product IPX066, which is intended to treat the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD).

14 Jul 2011

Maintaining general health may help reduce risk for dementia

Improving and maintaining health factors not traditionally associated with dementia, such as denture fit, vision and hearing, may lower a person's risk for developing dementia, according to a new study published in the July 13, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Jul 2011

Light-switching complex could help detect signs of Alzheimer's disease

A breakthrough in sensing at Rice University could make finding signs of Alzheimer's disease nearly as simple as switching on a light.

14 Jul 2011

FDA clears St. Jude Medical's Epiducer lead delivery system for neurostimulation

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance and limited market release of the Epiducer lead delivery system for neurostimulation therapy.

13 Jul 2011

SUMO molecules might prevent protein aggregations that typify PD

A small protein called SUMO might prevent the protein aggregations that typify Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study in the July 11, 2011, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology.

12 Jul 2011

Osteoporosis, low bone density common in people with early-stage MS

Osteoporosis and low bone density are common in people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published in the July 12, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Jul 2011

American Tinnitus Association awards $10,000 to Wayne State University student

Na Zhu, a Wayne State University College of Engineering student, has received the 2011 American Tinnitus Association Student Research Grant Program award. The program financially supports scientific studies that investigate and aim to find a cure for tinnitus.

12 Jul 2011

Virtual and physical reality exercises can increase movement speeds in Parkinson's patients

In people with Parkinson's Disease (PD), the inability to make quick movements limits basic functioning in daily life. Movement can be improved by various cueing techniques, such as providing visual or auditory stimuli when movements are started. In a study scheduled for publication in the August issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, researchers report that virtual reality (VR) and physical reality exercises can be used to provide effective stimuli to increase movement speeds in PD patients.

11 Jul 2011

FDA approves expansion of St. Jude Medical's BROADEN deep brain stimulation study for depression

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for expansion of its BROADEN (BROdmann Area 25 DEep brain Neurostimulation) study for depression. This expansion will allow a maximum of 20 sites across the U.S. to enroll up to 125 patients.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists study neuronal excitation to treat neurological disorders

Oh, the challenges of being a neuron, responsible for essential things like muscle contraction, gland secretion and sensitivity to touch, sound and light, yet constantly bombarded with signals from here, there and everywhere.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists discover way to separate neural wheat from the chaff

University of Florida scientists have discovered a way to separate the neural wheat from the chaff during the process of generating brain cells for potential patient therapies.

8 Jul 2011

PDF announces $1M for 11 novel Parkinson's research projects

The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) is pleased to announce awards totaling more than $1 million for 11 novel investigator-initiated research projects designed to understand the causes of and find a cure for Parkinson's disease.

8 Jul 2011

Cultural, gender and ethnic stereotypes can distort treatment of Parkinson's

Cultural, ethnic and gender stereotypes can significantly distort clinical judgments about "facially masked" patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a newly published study from researchers at Tufts University, Brandeis University and the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan.

7 Jul 2011

Current prevention strategies may not be very effective at reducing in-hospital falls

While falls are a common cause of injury, particularly in older, hospitalized patients, some may not be as preventable as once thought. According to a new literature review published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, many of the risks that frequently cause falls are not adequately addressed with the fall prevention initiatives used in healthcare facilities.

7 Jul 2011

Study: Breastfeeding does not appear to protect women from MS relapses

New research finds breastfeeding doesn't appear to protect against multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses, despite previous studies suggesting there may be a protective role. The research is published in the July 6, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Jul 2011