TANGO: towards faster prognosis of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases?
Brussels A large number of diseases - including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and mad cow disease - are the result of proteins that erroneously assume the wrong shape, causing them to stick to each other. This phenomenon is perceptible, but up to now it has been difficult to predict. Researchers from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) at the Free Universit...New genetic research demonstrates possible cause of inherited form of Parkinson's disease
Columbia University Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers have identified a possible cause of an inherited form of Parkinson's disease, which may be related to more common forms of the disease. The findings are reported in the August 27, 2004 issue of Science.... ...While the cause of most cases of Parkinson's disease is unknown, a few cases are inherited and can be...New evidence on revolutionary brain pacemaker for Parkinson's Disease patients
Less than 7% of all Parkinson Disease (PD) patients across Europe that could benefit from deep brain stimulation have benefited from the Activa Parkinsons Control Therapy, despite it being the most significant advance in the treatment of Parkinsons in more than 30 years....... The European Parkinsons Disease Association (EPDA) announced today new evidence on the current uptake of deep brain stim...National Parkinson Foundation designates UNC as 'Center of Excellence'
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The National Parkinson Foundation has designated the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an NPF Center of Excellence. ...With this accolade, the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Hospitals became the first medical center in North Carolina to join the ranks of only 42 NPF Centers of Excellence worldwide. UNC is the only such center in the North Carolina, South Carolina...Study sheds new light on genetic risk for Parkinson's disease
CHAPEL HILL -- By combining the results of 22 studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have found that a specific form of the gene APOE very slightly increases the risk of Parkinson's disease, even though the same gene is protective in Alzheimer's disease.... ...The researchers also found that the APOE-4 form of the gene, which has long been linked to an increased r...Single gene mutation muddying Parkinson's risk forecasts
PORTLAND, Ore. A peculiar form of a gene mutation known to increase a person's risk for Parkinson's disease is puzzling doctors about how to counsel patients who have the anomaly....... A study by researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine's Parkinson Center of Oregon, the University of Washington School of Medicine and the New York State Department of Health, Wadsw...Ritalin may improve Parkinson's symptoms, OHSU study says
PORTLAND, Ore. A well-known drug used to treat hyperactive children boosts the potency of another drug that reduces Parkinson's disease symptoms, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.... ...Scientists at the OHSU Parkinson Center of Oregon found that methylphenidate, known commercially as Ritalin, bolsters the effects of levodopa, a drug converted in the brain to dopamine. Methy...Parkinson's disease genetic study progresses with $8 million grant
INDIANAPOLIS Success in the location of genes potentially involved with the onset of Parkinson's disease has been rewarded with $8.26 million grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health....... Indiana University School of Medicine will serve as the coordinating center for this grant as it did for the initial funding. ... ... The original grant for $6 million in 1998 initiated the larg...Physicists use fractals to help Parkinson's sufferers
A new portable system for analyzing the walking patterns of people with Parkinson's disease has been developed by researchers in the US and Japan. The system, described in the Institute of Physics publication Journal of Neural Engineering, will help doctors monitor the progress of the disease in patients and so tailor their therapy and drug regime more accurately than previously possible....... P...PDF invites scientists pursuing Parkinson's research to apply for funding
NEW YORK -- The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF), a leading presence in the field of Parkinson's disease research, education, and public information is inviting applications from Parkinson's scientists for the PDF 2004-2005 International Research Grants Program (IRGP). The IRGP, formerly known as the PDF Extramural Grants Program, is believed to be one of the earliest privately funded competi...Yeast model yields insights into Parkinson's disease
Scientists who developed the first yeast model of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been able to describe the mechanisms of an important gene's role in the disease. Tiago Fleming Outeiro, Ph.D., and Susan Lindquist, Ph.D., of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, studied the gene's actions under normal conditions and under abnormal conditions to learn how and w...Yeast helps researchers better understand Parkinson's mystery
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Dec. 4, 2003) Scientists know that in patients with Parkinson's disease, certain proteins in the brain form clusters that somehow contribute to cell death and, eventually, lead to the onset of the disease's debilitating symptoms. The quest to figure out how these clusters form and how to prevent them has been slow and difficult. ... ...Now, after years of painstaking research...Major new finding on genetics of Parkinson's disease zeroes in on activity of alpha synuclein
Scientists investigating a rare familial form of early-onset Parkinson's disease have discovered that too much of a normal form of the -synuclein gene may cause Parkinson's disease. The finding, reported in the October 31, 2003, issue of ...The study provides major new clues into the process by which Parkinson's disease develops. Further, it suggests another way of looking at the consequences o...Gene controls age at onset of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
DURHAM, N.C. - By applying a new technique that combines independent lines of genomic evidence, Duke University Medical Center researchers and colleagues have identified a single gene that influences the age at which individuals first show symptoms of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.... ...Such genes that can impact patients' age at onset for the two very prevalent neurological disorders are...A new molecular culprit for type II diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
Therapies for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and type II diabetes should be directed toward a new molecular culprit the precursor to the clumps of abnormal proteins that have garnered attention for the last century.... ...Israeli scientists say they have solid evidence that the precursor molecules called protofibrils are the problem molecules in type II diabetes, and their results support a similar...Relatives of Parkinson's patients have higher risk for action tremor
ST. PAUL, MN Action tremor, the condition where goal-directed movements produce shaking in the moving body parts, most noticeably in the hands, is more apt to occur in first degree relatives of people with certain types of Parkinson's disease than in the population as a whole, according to a study published in the October 14 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of N...Research shows therapeutic cloning can cure Parkinson's-like disease in mice
New York, September 21, 2003 New research from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Cornell University, and The University of Connecticut describes a novel way of producing therapeutic nerve cells that can cure mice with Parkinson's-like disease. The work, which will be published in the October issue of Nature Biotechnology (available online September 21), provides the first evidence...UGA receives $6.7 M grant that will add knowledge in fights against cancer, Parkinson's disease
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a five-year grant of $6.7 million to a team headed by scientists at the University of Georgia for research that could eventually help in the treatment of certain kinds of cancer and Parkinson's Disease....... The grant is cosponsored by the National Cancer Institute and thereby counts...Genetic risk factor for Parkinson disease discovered
DURHAM, N.C. -- Inherited variations in proteins that produce energy for the body may provide protection from developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study by scientists at Duke University Medical Center.... ...Furthermore, the inherited gene variations seem particularly to protect white women, which may help explain why Parkinson's disease is seen more often in men. ... ...The study,...Fruit consumption related to increased risk of Parkinson's?
HONOLULU, HI Researchers in Honolulu have found a correlation between high fruit and fruit drink consumption and risk of Parkinson's disease. Findings of their study are being presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Honolulu, March 29-April 5, 2003....... Previous studies have suggested a link between fruit and vitamin C intake and an increased risk of Parkinson's. Howev...Growth factor shows promise in Parkinson's patients
MADISON - By pumping a potent growth factor directly into the human brain, an international team of scientists and surgeons has demonstrated significant remediation of the debilitating symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease.... ...The study, a phase 1 clinical trial designed primarily to assess the safety of administering a protein known as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor or GD...Study of insecticide neurotoxicity yields clues to onset of Parkinson's Disease
BLACKSBURG, Va., March 24, 2003 -- A grant from the U.S. Army has led Virginia Tech researchers to discover that exposure to some insecticides may cause a cascade of chemical events in the brain that could lead to Parkinson's Disease.... ...Jeffrey R. Bloomquist, a neurotoxicologist and associate professor in the university's Department of Entomology, will describe his findings as part of the Int...Drug averts Parkinson's disease in fruit flies, suggesting new approach for humans
PHILADELPHIA -- Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have averted the onset of neurodegenerative disease in fruit flies by administering medication to flies genetically predisposed to a disorder akin to Parkinson's disease. ... ...The result suggests a new approach to the treatment of human disorders including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Penn biologist Nancy M. Bonini and grad...A pathway towards cures for Parkinson's and cancer
Researchers studying the Hedgehog signaling pathway have identified small molecules that could form the foundations of exciting new treatments for Parkinson's disease and certain cancers....... New research published in Journal of Biology - the open access journal for exceptional research - has identified small molecules that are able to stimulate or block the Hedgehog signalling pathway, which i...Study suggests coenzyme Q10 slows functional decline in Parkinsons disease
Results of the first placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial of the compound coenzyme Q10 suggest that it can slow disease progression in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD). While the results must be confirmed in a larger study, they provide hope that this compound may ultimately provide a new way of treating PD....... The phase II study, led by Clifford Shults, M.D., of t...New study shows efficacy of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease
October 11, 2002 Auckland, New Zealand and New York, NY: In a study published today in the journal Science, scientists from the University of Auckland and Weill Cornell Medical College reported on the effectiveness of a new gene therapy approach to Parkinson's Disease, and the potential for this therapy to affect the overall progression of the disease itself. Based on this study and other data...Emory to receive more than $6.5 million to study environmental risk factors for Parkinsons disease
... Emory University, the University of California at Los Angeles and The Parkinson's Institute, Sunnyvale, CA, will each receive more than $6.5 million to create new...Embryonic mouse stem cells reduce symptoms in model for Parkinson's disease
Embryonic mouse stem cells transformed into neurons in a lab dish and then transplanted into a rat model for Parkinson's disease (PD) form functional connections and reduce disease symptoms, a new study shows. The finding suggests that embryonic stem (ES) cells may ultimately be useful for treating PD and other brain diseases....... The study is one of the first to show that ES cells can develo...UCLA scientists image how Parkinsons genes misfire in mice
UCLA scientists have developed a fast new way to image how thousands of genes misfire proteins in a mouse model of Parkinsons disease. The approach may provide a research blueprint for pinpointing the abnormal brain regions linked to autism and schizophrenia.... ...The new findings are reported in the June edition of Genome Research.... ...Last year, UCLA pharmacologist Desmond Smith developed a...Worm neuron research may lead to powerful model for Parkinson's study
NASHVILLE, Tenn., It was a warm summer night that Tuesday a night not unlike many others he had spent working in the lab when Richard Nass, Ph.D. walked down the empty hallway and entered a small, darkened room. Settling himself onto a stool, he placed a shallow dish on the stage of the microscope before him and peered through the eyepieces. What he saw there or, rather, didnt see took hi...PHILADELPHIA Using fruit fly models of Parkinsons disease, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found that a class of proteins known as "molecular chaperones" can block the progression of neurodegenerative disease in Drosophila melanogaster. In addition, the group has found evidence that similar pathways may operate in Parkinsons disease and possibly other neurodegenerative disor...Hopkins researchers find missing link between major proteins in Parkinson's disease
A new study identifies an important link between the two main inherited forms of Parkinson's disease (PD), and might also connect them to non-inherited versions, Hopkins scientists report in the October issue of Nature Medicine. ... ...The inherited forms are marked by alterations, or mutations, in one of two different proteins, parkin or alpha-synuclein (aS), but how they might lead to the same...Alternative therapy use by Parkinson's patients
In a study of more than 200 patients with Parkinson's disease, 40 percent used at least one type of alternative therapy, such as vitamins/herbs, massage and acupuncture. Over half of the patients failed to inform their physicians about the use of alternative therapies.... ... "This is concerning," said Stephen Reich, M.D., associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins and co-author of the stu.... While the causes of Parkinson's Disease are not known, recent experimental and epidemiological evidence of interactions between environmental exposures and genetic susceptibility will be presented by speakers at a special session of the annual Society of Toxicology meeting at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, March 29 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. . .Program Agenda:.Introduction and...Mouse with iron disorder offers clues to Parkinson's, similar diseases
. Mice engineered to lack a gene involved in iron metabolism may provide important clues for deciphering the nature of a group of brain disorders-similar to Parkinson's Disease-affecting movement, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). . The researchers reported in the February issue of Nature Genetics that mice lacking....In struggling to find the cause of Parkinsons disease, scientists have recently homed in on a mysterious protein called alpha-synuclein. Researchers suspect abnormal activity of alpha-synuclein is involved not only in inherited, but also in non-inherited forms of the devastating disease. In the January issue of Genome Research, Robert Nussbaum and colleagues from the National Institutes of He....SANTA CRUZ, CA--A new study suggests that too much manganese, an essential element required by the body in tiny amounts but toxic at elevated levels, may contribute to the early development of Parkinson's disease symptoms in susceptible people. Recent epidemiological studies have suggested an association between Parkinson's disease and elevated exposure to manganese. The new study in animals sh.... . Philadelphia -- New evidence links oxidative damage in a protein found in nerve cells to the development of degenerative diseases of the nervous system, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.. The first study to provide this evidence, conducted by University of Pennsylvania researchers, will be published in the November 3 issue of Science. . "The protein, called alpha-synuclein, is one of.... . Researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, and Lausanne, Switzerland, have successfully used gene therapy to reverse the anatomical, cellular changes that occur in the brains of primates with Parkinson's disease. The researchers also report success in preventing the disease from progressing and reversing functional deficits or symptoms associated with the disease i.... For many years, researchers have known that the movement problems associated with . Parkinsons disease result from a loss of neurons that produce a nerve-signaling chemical . called dopamine in one part of the brain. A new study suggests that Parkinsons disease . (PD) also affects nerve endings that produce a related chemical, norepinephrine, in the . heart. The finding improves understandin...