Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

New surprising details about flow of neurotransmitters between brain neurons

Two studies featuring research from Weill Cornell Medical College have uncovered surprising details about the complex process that leads to the flow of neurotransmitters between brain neurons -- a dance of chemical messages so delicate that missteps often lead to neurological dysfunction.

23 Jun 2011

Telaprevir drug shows promise in curing hepatitis C infection

The drug telaprevir (Incivek) provides a dramatic improvement in the treatment of the most common form of hepatitis C infection, says an international team of investigators led by Dr. Ira M. Jacobson of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

23 Jun 2011

Rush scientist receives NIH grant to evaluate whether cinnamon may treat MS

A neurological scientist at Rush University Medical Center has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate whether cinnamon, a common food spice and flavoring material, may stop the destructive process of multiple sclerosis.

23 Jun 2011

Key trigger to rare but deadly neurodegenerative disease

Jeremy Smith, Governor's Chair for Molecular Biophysics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has helped reveal a key trigger of Gerstmann-Str-ussler-Scheinker (GSS) syndrome, a rare but deadly neurodegenerative disease. The finding could have far-reaching implications for the treatment of other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's.

23 Jun 2011

NYSCF receives Golub family gift to launch new initiative for Parkinson's Disease

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) has received a half-million dollar gift from the Golub family to launch the NYCF-Golub Stem Cell Initiative for Parkinson's Disease.

23 Jun 2011

Enrollment complete in Rexahn's Serdaxin Phase IIb clinical trial for major depressive disorder

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase IIb clinical trial of Serdaxin to treat major depressive disorder (MDD).

22 Jun 2011

Caffeinated coffee boosts blood GCSF levels, protects against Alzheimer's

A yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage's caffeine, which could be a surprising reason why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer's disease.

22 Jun 2011

NextGen launches first CSF multiplex protein assay for detecting CNS diseases

NextGen Group plc is pleased to announce that its US-subsidiary NextGen Sciences Inc, a leader in biomarker discovery, measurement and qualification, has launched its first cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) multiple protein assay, csfdiscovery43, for central nervous system (CNS) biomarker discovery and qualification.

21 Jun 2011

Wayne State team receives $330,000 NSF grant to develop 3-D neural probe for tinnitus

A team of Wayne State University researchers was awarded $330,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a 3-D neural probe. Their aim is to develop an implantable device that will suppress tinnitus, a neurological disorder that affects more than 250 million people worldwide.

21 Jun 2011

Scientists discover three susceptibility genes for development of progressive supranuclear palsy

An international research team, co-led by scientists at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida, have discovered three potential susceptibility genes for development of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes symptoms similar to those of Parkinson's disease but is resistant to Parkinson's medications.

20 Jun 2011

New insight into progressive supranuclear palsy

There are new genetic clues on risk factors and biological causes of a rare neurodegenerative disease called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to a new study from an international genetics team led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

20 Jun 2011

Researchers uncover protein structural clues associated to PD

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) have uncovered structural clues about the protein linked to Parkinson's disease (PD), which ultimately could lead to finding a cure for the degenerative neurological disorder.

18 Jun 2011

Precisely mapped allosteric binding site will facilitate design of drugs with minimal side effects

Structural biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have obtained a precise molecular map of the binding site for an allosteric inhibitor in a subtype of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor, which is commonly expressed in brain cells.

17 Jun 2011

Varicocele surgery may increase testosterone production

17 Jun 2011

Low testosterone linked to varicoceles

As many as 15 percent of men have varicoceles, masses of enlarged and dilated veins in the testicles. There is new evidence that varicoceles, long known to be a cause of male infertility, interfere with the production of testosterone -- a crucial hormone to maintaining men's health. There is good news too: Microsurgery can increase testosterone levels in these men. Results of new research by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are in a recent edition of BJU International.

16 Jun 2011

Prior GID diagnosis impacts health outcomes of patients with Parkinson's

A new study investigating the incidence and impact of gastrointestinal disorders (GID) among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) found that patients who received both a PD diagnosis and a prior GID diagnosis appeared to have worse health outcomes compared to patients who received a diagnosis for PD with no prior GID diagnosis.

16 Jun 2011

$Economic burden of fractures in Europe has been vastly underestimated: New report$

Economic burden of fractures in Europe has been vastly underestimated: New report

A new report launched today by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) in collaboration with the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EFPIA) reveals that the burden of fractures in Europe has been vastly underestimated.

16 Jun 2011

Lund University professor receives Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Parkinson's research

Anders Björklund from Lund University in Sweden has been awarded the Robert A. Pritzker Prize for his many years of leadership in research on Parkinson's disease. The prize has long been an institution in American architecture and this year, for the first time, it is also being awarded to recognise cutting-edge medical research.

16 Jun 2011

Music and drama therapy improve physical, emotional components of Parkinson's

Twice a month a jam session takes place on the third floor of Northwestern Memorial's Prentice Women's Hospital. A diverse group of men and women, ranging in age and ethnicity, gather in a circle with instruments in hand and sing together. This is no ordinary jam band; all its members have Parkinson's disease.

16 Jun 2011

Study establishes potential genetic link to human REM sleep behaviour disorder

Researchers at the University of Toronto are the first to indentify a potential cause for a severe sleep disorder that has been closely linked to Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

16 Jun 2011