Parkinson’s
Researchers have discovered a biochemical route that could lead to new Parkinson's treatments. The findings reveal how harmful protein build-up in brain cells causes the death of movement-controlling nerve cells, a hallmark of the condition. The research was led by scientists at Case Western Reserve University. Xin Qi, the study's senior author and [...]
Long-term residential exposure to chlorpyrifos is linked to more than a 2.5-fold higher risk of Parkinson's, a study suggests. The research combines human population data with lab experiments showing how the pesticide damages dopamine-producing brain cells (neurons that make the signalling chemical dopamine), providing biological evidence for the link. Around 166,000 people in the UK [...]
Two proteins on motor neurons in the brain may drive the progression of Parkinson's, new research suggests. Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative condition in which neurons slowly die. A misfolded protein called α-synuclein builds up and spreads between cells, damaging brain tissue. A new study points to two membrane proteins, mGluR4 and NPDC1, as major players [...]
A new study is challenging a popular theory about how dopamine drives movement, a discovery that could shift how scientists think about Parkinson’s disease treatments. The McGill University-led research found dopamine does not set the speed or force of each movement, as had been thought. Instead, it appears to act as the underlying support system [...]
Parkinson's UK and Table Tennis England have announced a partnership to create more chances for people with Parkinson's to play table tennis. The formal collaboration builds on a relationship developed over recent years as the benefits of table tennis for people with Parkinson's have become clearer. Exercise is recognised as the best and possibly only [...]
A funding agreement has been renewed to support what is described as the world's largest drug repurposing clinical trial initiative for Parkinson's disease. As part of the three-year agreement, US$750,000 will be pledged annually by charity Cure Parkinson's and independent research facility, Van Andel Institute (VAI), to the International Linked Clinical Trials Programme. [...]
Untreated restless legs syndrome may raise the risk of Parkinson's disease, while dopamine-agonist therapy could lower it, a study has found. Restless legs syndrome is a common neurological sleep disorder characterised by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, often worsening at night. Parkinson's disease is a progressive condition that causes tremor, rigidity and slowed [...]
Scientists identify how protein droplets trigger the harmful clumping that drives Parkinson's disease, potentially opening new treatment paths. The discovery reveals how ubiquilin-2 protein catalyses the aggregation of alpha-synuclein, the misfolded protein that forms toxic deposits in the brains of people with Parkinson's. These deposits, called Lewy bodies, accumulate in neurons in the substantia nigra [...]
People with untreated sleep apnoea face nearly double the risk of Parkinson's; using CPAP therapy appears to cut that risk, the study of 11m veterans suggests. The study of more than 11 million US military veterans found that using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy significantly reduced this heightened risk. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is [...]
Researchers have discovered that irregular brain signals, previously dismissed as 'noise', track Parkinson's symptoms more accurately than traditional markers. The finding could help improve deep brain stimulation (DBS), a treatment that uses mild electrical pulses to ease symptoms by modulating abnormal brain activity. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, working with teams from [...]
