Why do neurons die in Parkinson’s disease?
November 9, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
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.
Abnormal oscillation in the brain causes motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease
October 31, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
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.
New modeling of brain’s circuitry may bring better understanding of Parkinson’s disease
September 26, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
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.
Wayne State researcher developing treatments for Parkinson’s with aid of $2.15 million NIH grant
September 25, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
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.
Gladstone scientist finds new target for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
September 7, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
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.
Stem cell study offers hope for Parkinson’s patients
August 22, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
Scientists have for the first time generated stem cells from one of the most rapidly progressing forms of Parkinsons disease.
Scientists have for the first time generated stem cells from one of the most rapidly progressing forms of Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers identify why dopamine replacement therapy has a paradoxical effect on cognition
June 14, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
Dopamine replacement therapy, which is used to manage motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, can, at times, adversely affect cognition. Dr. Oury Monchi, Ph. D. in neuronal modeling and Head of the Neurophysiological and Neuroimaging Research theme at the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (IUGM), which is affiliated with the Université de Montréal, and Dr. Penny A. MacDonald, Neurologist and postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Monchi’s laboratory, have identified the reasons why within the framework of a clinical study recently published in Brain: A Journal of Neurology. This marks the second time in three months that Brain has published the results of IUGM researchers.
Copper folds protein into precursors of Parkinson’s plaques
June 13, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
Researchers at North Carolina State University have figured out how copper induces misfolding in the protein associated with Parkinson’s disease, leading to creation of the fibrillar plaques which characterize the disease. This finding has implications for both the study of Parkinson’s progression, as well as for future treatments.
Ulcer bacteria may contribute to development of Parkinson’s disease
May 21, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
NEW ORLEANS, LA May 22, 2011 — The stomach bacteria responsible for ulcers could also play a role in the development of Parkinson’s disease according to research presented today at the 111th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
Stem cells reverse disease in a model of Parkinson’s disease
May 16, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
A team of researchers — led by Sang-Hun Lee, at Hanyang University, Republic of Korea, and Kwang-Soo Kim, at Harvard Medical School, Belmont, — has now compared the ability of cells derived from different types of human stem cell to reverse disease in a rat model of Parkinson disease and identified a stem cell population that they believe could be clinically relevant.
