Researchers visualize the development of Parkinson’s cells

In the US alone, at least 500,000 people suffer from Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder that affects a person’s ability to control his or her movement. New technology from the University of Bonn in Germany lets researchers observe the development of the brain cells responsible for the disease.

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Scientists report first step in strategy for cell replacement therapy in Parkinson’s disease

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are a promising avenue for cell replacement therapy in neurologic diseases. For example, mouse and human iPSCs have been used to generate dopaminergic (DA) neurons that improve symptoms in rat Parkinson’s disease models. Reporting in the current issue of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, a group of scientists from Japan evaluated the growth, differentiation, and function of human-derived iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in a primate model, elucidating their therapeutic potential.

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Parkinson’s treatment shows positive results in clinical testing

Researchers from the University of Florida and 14 additional medical centers reported results today in the online version of The Lancet Neurology journal indicating that deep brain stimulation — also known as DBS — is effective at improving motor symptoms and quality of life in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease.

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Simple blood test diagnoses Parkinson’s disease long before symptoms appear

Bethesda, MD—A new research report appearing in the December issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) shows how scientists from the United Kingdom have developed a simple blood test to detect Parkinson’s disease even at the earliest stages. The test is possible because scientists found a substance in the blood, called “phosphorylated alpha-synuclein,” which is common in people with Parkinson’s disease, and then developed a way to identify its presence in our blood.

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Stem cell research hopes to repair brain damage of Parkinson’s disease

Australian scientists have developed a new technique using stem cells, in the hope to replace damaged cells in Parkinson’s disease. The technique could be developed for application in other degenerative conditions.

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Why do neurons die in Parkinson’s disease?

Current thinking about Parkinson’s disease is that it’s a disorder of mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles inside cells, causing neurons in the brain’s substantia nigra to die or become impaired. A study from Children’s Hospital Boston now shows that genetic mutations causing a hereditary form of Parkinson’s disease cause mitochondria to run amok inside the cell, leaving the cell without a brake to stop them. Findings appear in the November 11 issue of Cell.

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Abnormal oscillation in the brain causes motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease

The research group headed by Professor Atsushi Nambu (The National Institute for Physiological Sciences) and Professor Masahiko Takada (Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University) has shown that the ‘oscillatory’ nature of electrical signals in subcortical nuclei, the basal ganglia, causes severe motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease, by disturbing the information flow of motor commands. The group also found that chemical inactivation of the subthalamic nucleus (a structure of the basal ganglia) in parkinsonian monkeys improved the motor impairments by reducing the ‘oscillations.’ The results of this study were reported in European Journal of Neuroscience, November 2011 issue.

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New modeling of brain’s circuitry may bring better understanding of Parkinson’s disease

Researchers from the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis have developed a mathematical model of the brain’s neural circuitry that may provide a better understanding of how and why information is not transmitted correctly in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients. This knowledge may eventually help scientists and clinicians correct these misfires.

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Wayne State researcher developing treatments for Parkinson’s with aid of $2.15 million NIH grant

A Wayne State University professor is leading research efforts to develop new treatment options to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects nearly six million people around the world, with 50,000 to 60,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States alone each year. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may include tremor, slowed motion, rigid muscles, difficulty initiating movement, speech changes, postural instability and more.

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Gladstone scientist finds new target for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

A scientist at the Gladstone Institutes has identified how the lack of a brain chemical known as dopamine can rewire the interaction between two groups of brain cells and lead to symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This discovery offers new hope for treating those suffering from this devastating neurodegenerative disease.

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