Latest Dopamine Stories

Researchers at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) used an innovative technique to examine chemical interactions that are implicated in Parkinson's Disease. The work details how a protein called alpha-synuclein interacting with the brain chemical dopamine can lead to protein misfolding and neuronal death. Parkinson's Disease is a neurodegenerative disease which results in loss of motor control and cognitive function. Although the cause isn't known precisely, the disease...

SAN DIEGO, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ceregene Inc., a biotechnology company developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, will present new data demonstrating long-term, biologically-active expression of neurturin, a nervous system growth factor delivered to the degenerating dopamine nerves in patients with Parkinson's disease following treatment with CERE-120 (AAV2-neurturin). Raymond T. Bartus, Ph.D., Ceregene's chief scientific officer and...

Two studies by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggest that, in the future, colonic tissue obtained during either colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy may be used to predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of aging that that leads to progressive deterioration of motor function due to loss of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential to executing movement. Currently, Parkinson's disease afflicts...

Changes in flies parallel human disorder Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania researchers have discovered a mechanism involving the neurotransmitter dopamine that switches fruit fly behavior from being active during the day (diurnal) to nocturnal. This change parallels a human disorder in which increased agitation occurs in the evening hours near sunset and may also be due to higher than normal dopamine levels in the brain. Sundown syndrome occurs in older people...

TAU researcher developing therapy to halt symptoms in Parkinson's patients Parkinson's disease, a disorder which affects movement and cognition, affects over a million Americans, including actor Michael J. Fox, who first brought it to the attention of many TV-watching Americans. It's characterized by a gradual loss of neurons that produce dopamine. Mutations in the gene known as DJ-1 lead to accelerated loss of dopaminergic neurons and result in the onset of Parkinson's symptoms at a young...

Image Credit: Photos.com New brain research suggests lazy people could be naturally born that way. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the study was performed by a team of scientists from Vanderbilt University who found evidence which suggests a person’s willingness to work hard and make money are tied to specific chemicals in 3 areas of the brain. The scientists also say these new studies could improve the treatment and research of Attention-Deficit Disorder, Depression and...

Discovery has implications for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have determined how specific circuitry in the brain controls not only body movement but also motivation and learning, providing new insight into neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease—and psychiatric disorders such as addiction and depression. Previously, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Investigator Anatol Kreitzer, PhD, discovered how an...

Finding adds to evidence about the biology of this mysterious disease Chronic fatigue syndrome, a medical disorder characterized by extreme and ongoing fatigue with no other diagnosed cause, remains poorly understood despite decades of scientific study. Although researchers estimate that more than 1 million Americans are affected by this condition, the cause for chronic fatigue syndrome, a definitive way to diagnose it, and even its very existence remain in question. In a new study,...

ATLANTA, April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To help people learn more about the full range of symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, global biopharmaceutical company UCB, Inc., is launching a new online community -- Parkinson's More than Motion(TM) -- that provides a platform for people living with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers to interact and learn from others with the condition. Part of this launch is the debut of a new reality-style video series depicting real...

An agent under consideration for use in PET imaging combats neuronal death to relieve Parkinsonian symptoms in animal models, according to a study published on April 2nd in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The movement-related symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including muscle rigidity and tremors, are caused by the loss of dopamine-secreting neurons in the brain. Current therapies aim at increasing and maintaining dopamine levels to correct these motor impairments. However, these...