Latest Parkin Stories

Rapamycin, a drug used to prevent rejection in transplants, could delay the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's Rapamycin, a drug used to prevent rejection in transplants, could delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. This is the main conclusion of a study published in the Nature in which has collaborated the researcher Isidro Ferrer, head of the group of Neuropathology at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and...

--Dutch Island Author Donating Proceeds of Book Sales-- MIAMI, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) is entangled in a mystery - and the national organization is glad of it. A just-released mystery novel titled Dutch Island is generating attention - and money - for NPF. A Parkinson's disease patient and his wife "star" in the comedic thriller that channels all proceeds from its print edition sales to the foundation. "This is a...

Imaging technique offers novel way to monitor neurodegenerative disorders in live animal models of Parkinson's disease Using a two-photon microscope capable of peering deep within living tissue, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found new evidence that alpha-synuclein protein build-up inside neurons causes them to not only become "leaky," but also to misfire due to calcium fluxes. The findings – the first recorded in vivo using a transgenic...

NIH-funded study shows cells from different patients have unique drug responses Researchers have taken a step toward personalized medicine for Parkinson's disease, by investigating signs of the disease in patient-derived cells and testing how the cells respond to drug treatments. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers collected skin cells from patients with genetically inherited forms of Parkinson's and reprogrammed those cells into neurons. They...

Long-term aim is to develop new treatments to block the spread of damaged proteins in the brain Van Andel Institute announces that researchers at Lund University in Sweden have published a study detailing how Parkinson's disease spreads through the brain. Experiments in rat models uncover a process previously used to explain mad cow disease, in which misfolded proteins travel from sick to healthy cells. This model has never before been identified so clearly in a living organism, and the...

An international team led by human genetic researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health has identified the latest gene associated with typical late-onset Lewy body Parkinson's disease (PD), with the help of a Canadian Mennonite family of Dutch-German-Russian ancestry. Twelve of the 57 members of the Saskatchewan family who participated in the study had previously been diagnosed with PD. UBC Medical Genetics Prof. Matthew Farrer, who led the research,...

Long-term aim is to develop new treatments to block the spread of damaged proteins in the brain Grand Rapids, Mich. (June 27, 2012) – Van Andel Institute announces that researchers at Lund University in Sweden have published a study detailing how Parkinson's disease spreads through the brain. Experiments in rat models uncover a process previously used to explain mad cow disease, in which misfolded proteins travel from sick to healthy cells. This model has never before been identified so...

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...

Mutations in the LRRK2 gene are the most common cause of genetic Parkinson's disease (PD). New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Molecular Neurodegeneration demonstrates that loss of function of LRRK2 (by deletion of the kinase domain) leads to changes in motor co-ordination and causes anxiety-like behaviors and kidney degeneration in mice without affecting dopamine-mediated brain activity. The protein LRRK2 is involved in regulating the structure and function of...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Though there is no known cure for Parkinson’s disease, there are means to control the symptoms. Researchers at UCLA may have found a way to determine which patients will experience a more rapid decline in motor function, which is potentially beneficial in developing new therapies and identifying who can benefit the most from early intervention. In a small study with 233 patients, the researchers discovered that people with Parkinson’s who possess two specific...