Parkinson's News

A groundbreaking discovery by Australian researchers has identified a molecule that blocks cell death, potentially revolutionizing treatment for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.  

From difficulty in swallowing to tremors- recognizing its symptoms is crucial for early intervention and improved quality of life for individuals with symptoms of stroke and Parkinson's.

Suffering from just one mild concussion can increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 56 percent, a new study of over 300,000 people has found.

Researchers have developed a new imaging agent that could help guide and assess treatments for people with various neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Parkinson's disease is one of a number of neurodegenerative diseases caused when naturally occurring proteins fold into the wrong shape and stick together with other proteins, eventually forming thin filament-like structures called amyloid fibrils.  

The findings showed that people with Parkinson's disease had significantly lower levels of caffeine in their blood than people without the disease, even if they consumed the same amount of caffeine.  

The rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder or RBD, which most often affects persons aged 50-70, and more frequently in men than women, is characterised by disturbances in the part of sleep where dreams take place.   

According to a previous research published in the journal Neurology in 2012, drinking three cups of coffee per day showed possible improvement in movement symptoms for the people with the disease that also includes tremors.

The disease destroys the brain cells that control body movements. Shivering, stiff arms and legs and poor coordination are typical symptoms of Parkinson`s. The symptoms may develop slowly, and it sometimes takes time to make a correct diagnosis.

The findings raise the possibility that the death of neurons in Parkinson's could be prevented by therapies that dampen the immune response.

People who consumed more than one serving per day of skim and low-fat milk, had a 39 per cent greater chance of developing Parkinson's compared to those who consumed less than one serving per week.

Microglia are a type of macrophage, white blood cells found throughout the body that can destroy pathogens or other foreign materials.

Most cases of Parkinson's have no known cause and researchers continue to debate and study possible factors that may contribute to the disease.

Researchers from Karolinska Institute in Sweden used astrocytes glial cells, named for their star-shape, which are highly abundant in the brains of mice and humans.

By discovering the gene networks that orchestrate this process, researchers have singled out new therapeutic targets that could prevent neuron loss.

Researchers found that while healthy neurons should be able to sort out and rid brain cells of toxic proteins and damaged cell structures without causing problems, laboratory findings indicate that it does not always occur.

 Scientists have found that a single protein can lead to effective treatments for devastating neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

In another addition to the field of medicine, experts have developed novel caffeine-based chemical compounds that can be helpful in preventing Parkinson's disease.

 Nicotine -- when given independent of tobacco -- could help protect the brain as it ages and even ward off neuro-degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease, US researchers have said.

Undertaken by researchers from the University of California - Los Angeles, the study suggested that the neurological factors underlying Parkinson's may be more complex than commonly believed.