An extended-release levodopa has been approved in the EU, and a single blood score has been linked to later cognitive decline and freezing of gait
An extended-release levodopa that cut daily doses from five to three while increasing good on time has been approved in the European Union, and researchers in South Korea built a blood gene-activity score that tracked with cognitive impairment and freezing of gait eight years later — explained for you and your care partner.
ParkinON News #8People who started rehabilitation in the first year after diagnosis lived longer, and the brain shows a sign of hallucinations before they appear
A study following more than 19,000 people with Parkinson's for up to 15 years found that the earlier rehabilitation started, the longer survival was, and a separate imaging study found acetylcholine activity in the brain already reduced years before hallucinations began — explained for you and your care partner.
ParkinON News #7Gut bacteria shift with age, stage and medication, and a drug meant to boost levodopa may end up cutting into it
One study finds that the gut bacteria of people with Parkinson's differ by age, severity and medication, while another finds that COMT inhibitors, taken to make levodopa work better, can reshape gut bacteria in a way that breaks levodopa down — explained for you and your care partner.
ParkinON News #6A ready-to-use stem cell therapy gets FDA fast track status, and researchers find how a toxic protein first gets into brain cells
A stem cell therapy that replaces damaged dopamine neurons has been granted FDA fast track status, and Yale researchers have identified the pathway toxic protein uses to enter healthy neurons — explained for you and your care partner.
ParkinON News #5Resistance training plus stretching noticeably eased motor symptoms, while H. pylori treatment showed no benefit
A randomized controlled trial found that combined resistance and stretching exercise significantly improved Parkinson's motor symptoms and strength, while a double-blind trial found that treating H. pylori infection did not help motor or non-motor symptoms — explained for you and your care partner.
ParkinON News #4An experimental vaccine won FDA fast-track status, and a new oral drug eased symptoms while cutting inflammation
An immune-training vaccine aimed at Parkinson's protein clumps got FDA fast-track status, and a new oral drug showed early promise against both symptoms and inflammation — explained for you and your care partner.
ParkinON News #3Non-surgical brain stimulation eased low mood and apathy, and the LRRK2 gene's on-off switch was mapped
A study in which non-surgical brain stimulation (tDCS) reduced low mood and apathy in Parkinson's, and research mapping how LRRK2 — a leading drug target — switches on and off, explained for you and your care partner.
ParkinON News #2Cell therapy still working at three years, and a once-a-day drug nears an approval decision
Three-year follow-up results for a Parkinson's cell therapy, and news of a once-a-day drug now awaiting a U.S. approval decision — explained for you and your care partner.
ParkinON News #1New research suggests exercise protects dopamine neurons
A study finding that steady aerobic exercise can slow damage to dopamine-producing nerve cells, explained plainly for you and your care partner.