Scientists at the University of Florida have discovered a new method of observing the brain changes caused by Parkinson’s disease, which destroys neurons important for movement. The development suggests that fluid changes in a specific brain area could provide a way to track that damage. The study, published in the journal Brain, was supported by the...
Tag: <span>Parkinson’s disease</span>
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Transcranial stimulation and/or physical therapy improves walking speed in Parkinson’s disease
Noninvasive brain stimulation and physical therapy — alone or in combination — improve some measures of walking ability in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), concludes a clinical trial in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer. Transcranial direct current...
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Autoimmunity may have role in Parkinson’s disease
For the first time, scientists have found evidence that autoimmunity may have a role in Parkinson’s disease. They found that fragments of the protein that builds up in the dopamine cells of the brains of people with Parkinson’s trigger an immune response that kills the cells. The study – led by Columbia University Medical Center...
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Statins may raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease
Thousands of people across the United States are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease every year. New research examines the effect of statins on the risk of developing this neurodegenerative disease. Every year, approximately 50,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimate that half a million people in the country live...
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New mechanism behind Parkinson’s disease revealed
Diagram of the vesicle recycling process in the nerve terminal. The vesicles are represented by blue and white circles at the top left. The white circles are empty and the blue ones contain a neurotransmitter. “Full” vesicles move toward the membrane of the nerve terminal, represented by the overall outline of the figure, where they...
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Could Parkinson’s disease be cured by transplanting PIG CELLS into the brain? Early trials may hold the key to the first ever remedy
The futuristic technique has already proved that it can be successful on rats Four patients who have had the procedure are believed to be on the mend The firm behind the treatment believe it could offer hope to millions of sufferers Transplanting pig cells into the brain may be able to cure Parkinson’s disease, new...
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Does consuming low-fat dairy increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease?
Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson’s disease. Consuming at least three servings of low-fat dairy a day is associated with a greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to consuming less than one serving a day, according to a large study published in...
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Potential therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease
Investigations by scientists in Japan illustrate how the loss of a key mitochondrial protein facilitates the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The findings are published in Nature Communications (June 2017). There is much evidence to suggest that dysfunction within cellular components contributes to the development and progression of the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson’s disease. However, exactly how individual genes...
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Discovery may offer hope to Parkinson’s disease patients
Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson’s disease. The finding of a common protein abnormality in these degenerative diseases supports a hypothesis among experts that abnormal deposition of proteins in many neurodegenerative disorders reflects an early change in these proteins. “We have pinpointed a...
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Researchers discover neuronal targets that restore movement in Parkinson’s disease model
Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson’s disease. Researchers working in the lab of Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientist Aryn Gittis, have identified two groups of neurons that can be turned on and off to alleviate the movement-related symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The activation of...