Feature Channels: Parkinson’s Disease

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Research from Cedars-Sinai sheds light on how the human brain rapidly forms new memories, providing insights into potential new treatments for memory disorders. A new study examined neurons that produce dopamine, a compound that acts as a transmitter for nerve impulses. It found that these dopamine neurons play a critical role in the formation of episodic memory, which allows people to remember such things as where they parked the car in the morning and what they had for dinner last night.

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Patients receiving deep brain stimulation are warned that their neurostimulators may dysfunction when confronted by electromagnetic fields generated by particular electrical devices found at work, home, and in the hospital. A new and potentially dangerous source of dysfunction has been identified: nearby lightening.

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People with restless legs syndrome may have changes in a portion of the brain that processes sensory information, according to a study published in the April 25, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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For most people, it’s better to start taking drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) early on rather than letting the disease run its course, according to a new guideline for treating MS from the American Academy of Neurology. The guideline is published in the April 23, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and presented at the 70th AAN Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, April 21 to April 27, 2018. The guideline is endorsed by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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Using new technologies to track how vision guides foot placement, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin come one step closer in determining what is going on in the brain while we walk, paving the way for better treatment for mobility impairments — strokes, aging and Parkinson’s — and technology development — prosthetics and robots.

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Study shows potential link between Parkinson’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease, suggests anti-TNFα therapy may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease

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People who have been diagnosed with a mild concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury, may have a 56 percent increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study published in the April 18, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center is pleased to introduce DaTscan™, a tool to help physicians diagnose patients exhibiting the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other Parksinsonian syndromes, particularly those that cause tremors. The test is another approach for physicians to accurately identify a disease that can be challenging to diagnose, particularly in its early stages.

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Boise State researchers recently teamed up with the YMCA Healthy Living Center to assess the real-world efficacy of a nationwide program designed for early stages Parkinson’s patients called Delay the Disease.

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A new smartphone app allows Parkinson's disease patients and their doctors to better track the progression of symptoms, such as tremors and walking difficulties, that can vary dramatically over days, or even hours.

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By visualizing dopamine neurons in a tiny worm's brain, scientists have identified a novel pathway that sustains the health of these cells. The study shows that the normal actions of swip-10 to protect dopamine neurons are indirect, derived from the gene’s action in support cells called glia that lie adjacent to the dopamine neurons. Glial cells are recognized to play a critical role in shaping neuronal development, structure, and function, however, this research offers a clear demonstration that they also keep dopamine cells alive.

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Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease may have more in common than their effects on the functions of the brain and spinal cord. And finding that common thread could lead to a treatment that could work for all three.

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The recent finding opens the door to developing new treatments for a wide range of illnesses, from heart disease, diabetes and cancer to neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease.

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Tears may hold clues to whether someone has Parkinson’s disease, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 70th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, April 21 to 27, 2018.

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Researchers studying a rare genetic disorder that causes severe, progressive neurological problems in childhood have discovered insights into biological mechanisms that drive the disease, along with early clues that an amino acid supplement might offer a targeted therapy.

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A hypertonic grip expander for individuals with cerebral palsy and stroke patients, a chair for students on the autism spectrum, and an independent lifting device for quadriplegic individuals are the designs created by teams of undergraduate students from colleges and universities in the Northeast during the inaugural Engineering Innovation for Society (EIS—pronounced “ice”) student design competition.

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Levels of a protein found in the brain called alpha-synuclein (α-syn) are significantly lower than normal in cerebrospinal fluid collected in Parkinson’s disease patients suffering from postural instability and gait difficulty, a study led by movement disorders experts at Rush University Medical Center has found.

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A therapeutic target to preserve vision in glaucoma patients could have treatment ramifications for age-related neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, according to findings released today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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A new study from the University of Iowa finds that an unexpected sound causes people to stop an action more often than when they heard no sound at all. The finding could lead to new treatments for patients with motor-control disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and ADHD, as well as address the decline in motor control that accompanies aging. Results published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

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La Jolla Institute Professor Dr. Alessandro Sette has been awarded a $340,000 grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to follow up on an earlier MJFF-supported study, which provided the strongest evidence to date that autoimmunity plays a role in Parkinson’s disease.