IMAGE: OXIDATIVE STRESS PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN THE BRAIN CELL LOSS THAT OCCURS IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE. NOW SCIENTISTS HAVE THEIR SIGHTS ON A PROTEIN THAT INHIBITS ONE OF THE BODY’S… AUGUSTA, Ga. (Nov. 6, 2017) – Oxidative stress plays a big role in the brain cell loss that occurs in Parkinson’s disease. Now scientists...
Tag: <span>Parkinson’s disease</span>
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Impulsivity in Parkinson’s disease
Dopamine medications are effective in treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but dopamine agonists can trigger impulsive-compulsive behaviors (ICBs), such as compulsive gambling, eating or shopping, in a subset of patients. ICBs are thought to be caused by overstimulation of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine network, which regulates reward learning and executive function. In a...
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Dundee Scientists Solve 3-D Structure of Key Defense Protein Against Parkinson’s Disease
Scientists at the University of Dundee have identified the structure of a key enzyme that protects the brain against Parkinson’s disease. The result of a decade of work, the research team said that solving the 3D structure and inner workings of the PINK1 enzyme represented a major breakthrough. “Solving the structure and workings of PINK1...
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Apathy in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease Correlates with Alteration of Left Fronto-Polar Electroencephalographic Connectivity
Abstract Introduction: Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) brain frequency and network analyses are known to differentiate between disease stages in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and are possible biomarkers. They correlate with cognitive decline. Little is known about changes in brain networks in relation to apathy. Objective/Aims: To analyze changes in brain network connectivities related to apathy. Methods: 40 PD patients (14...
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Researchers overturn the theory of Parkinson’s disease
Inhibitory inputs from the basal ganglia inhibit thalamic neurons (upper). In low-dopamine states, like PD, rebound firing follows inhibition and causes movement disorders (middle). The inhibition of rebound firing alleviates PD-like symptoms in a mouse model of PD. A KAIST research team has identified a new mechanism that causes the hallmark symptoms of Parkinson’s...
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Parkinson’s disease and prion diseases: Discovery of a molecular link
For the first time new research has proven the existence of an important interaction between the molecules involved in the two types of pathologies Parkinson’s disease and prion diseases are very different from each other as regards both origins and course. Nonetheless, a research group of SISSA’s, headed by Professor Giuseppe Legname, has discovered an...
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For some, smell test may signal Parkinson’s disease up to 10 years before diagnosis
A simple scratch-and-sniff test may one day be able to help identify some people at greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease up to 10 years before the disease could be diagnosed, according to a new study published in the September 6, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The...
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New diagnostic tool spots first signs of Parkinson’s disease
Researchers have developed the first tool that can diagnose Parkinson’s disease when there are no physical symptoms, offering hope for more effective treatment of the condition. There are currently no laboratory tests for Parkinson’s and by the time people present to a neurologist with symptoms, nerve cells in their brains have already suffered irreversible damage....
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Treating with antioxidants early in Parkinson’s disease process may halt degeneration and improve neuronal function
Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified a toxic cascade that leads to neuronal degeneration in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and figured out how to interrupt it, reports a study to be published September 7 in the journal Science. Intervening with an antioxidant early in the disease process may break the degenerative cycle and improve neuron function...
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Immune system may mount an attack in Parkinson’s disease
A new study suggests that T cells, which help the body’s immune system recognize friend from foe, may play an important role in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study, published in the journal Nature, was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health. “This collaboration between...