Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

SRY protein explains why men more likely to develop Parkinson's

Scientists at Prince Henry's Institute, Melbourne, and the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered that SRY, the male protein that forms the testes is also produced in the brain region affected in Parkinson's disease.

24 Feb 2006

SRY gene directly controls neuronal function in the brain

Shaped by much previous research, the prevailing view regarding sex-specific differences in the brain is that they are caused by circulating sex hormones, which are generated outside the brain and influence certain aspects of brain development, as well as brain function in adults.

23 Feb 2006

Pig cells reverse diabetes in monkeys

A team of researchers in the U.S. have successfully reversed diabetes in monkeys using transplanted islet cells from pigs.

21 Feb 2006

Thrill seekers at less risk of Parkinson's disease

According to a new study by British researchers, risk takers stand less chance of getting Parkinson's disease, live longer, and have more friends.

20 Feb 2006

Research suggests that a common mechanism may underlie a variety of protein folding diseases

Misfolded and damaged proteins are common to all human neurodegenerative diseases. Clumps of these aggregated proteins destroy neurons within the brain and cause disease.

16 Feb 2006

Gene therapy cures depressed mice

Researchers in the U.S. say that deleting a specific gene in the brain of mice that have been conditioned to be depressed, has the same effect as antidepressants.

13 Feb 2006

Anticholinergic drugs may lead to mild mental impairment in elderly

Anticholinergic drugs may lead to mild cognitive (mental) impairment in elderly people, finds a study published online by the British Medical Journal.

7 Feb 2006

HMRI researcher lights a path to understanding brain diseases

Neurologist Mike Harrington of Pasadena, California's Huntington Medical Research Institutes argues that soon we may be able to detect brain disease before symptoms even begin. The secret is in the cerebrospinal fluid, the clear liquid that cushions our brain and spinal cord.

2 Feb 2006

Deer antlers provide important clues for stem cell research

Research carried out by veterinary scientists at the Royal Veterinary College reveals that deer antler regeneration may use stem cells and involves similar mechanisms to those used in limb development.

2 Feb 2006

Research shows brain's ability to overcome pain and thirst

Researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered how the brain prioritises pain and thirst in order to survive - a mechanism that helps elite athletes to 'push through the pain barrier'.

30 Jan 2006

British GP helps terminally access Swiss euthanasia clinic

A doctor in the UK who helped terminally ill Britons to travel to a Swiss clinic to commit suicide is under investigation by Surrey Police.

29 Jan 2006

Alzheimer's disease may be more common than previously recognized

A study published in the January issue of the Annals of Neurology found that neurofibrillary tangles in the substantia nigra, a part of the brain that is subject to cell loss in Parkinson's disease, are associated with gait impairment in older persons with and without dementia.

25 Jan 2006

New tool for genetic research

In an article appearing online today in the journal Nature Methods, researchers at the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fidirale de Lausanne) unveil a powerful new tool that will facilitate genetic research and open up new avenues for the clinical treatment of genetic disease.

23 Jan 2006

Education campaign on umbilical cord and placental blood donation

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, M.D., J.D. has launched an educational campaign to inform expectant mothers of the life-saving value of newborn umbilical cord and placental blood.

23 Jan 2006

Gene therapy to turn off Parkinson's

A group of Northwestern University researchers is developing a novel gene therapy aimed at selectively turning off one of the genes involved in the development of Parkinson's disease.

23 Jan 2006

Australian stem cell breakthrough

A University of New South Wales (UNSW) researcher based at the Diabetes Transplant Unit (DTU) at Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital has produced a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line without the use of any animal products. The breakthrough eliminates the risk of animal-to-human contamination in potential stem cell therapy treatments.

23 Jan 2006