Search Results for: blog parkinsons disease research

Study Finds Five New Genes Related to Parkinson’s Disease

Scientists have found five genes that link to Parkinson’s disease. The hope is that this discovery will lead to new treatments for this disease, which currently has no cure, and also to an earlier diagnosis of the disease. People who have someone in their family tree who has Parkinson’s disease have a somewhat higher risk of developing the disease themselves, than do people who have no relatives who suffer from this disease. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological disease. In healthy brains, nerve cells produce dopamine. Dopamine helps the nerves transmit signals that allow a person to move smoothly. Lack … Continue reading →

Brain Pacemaker for Parkinson’s Disease

A sort of pacemaker for the brain is showing promising results in testing on people with Parkinson’s disease. More than two hundred people with advanced Parkinson’s disease participated in testing, held at university and Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country. Some were treated only with medication; others were randomly assigned the surgery to implant electrodes that would stimulate the brain. (This “brain pacemaker” is also known as deep brain stimulation.) After six months, the patients who had the brain pacemaker experienced a dramatic reduction in tremors, limb rigidity, and movement restriction. Many reported a reduction or termination of nerve burning/tingling … Continue reading →

A New Warning Sign for Parkinson’s Disease

Research from the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System in Honolulu, Hawaii has come up with a new warning sign for Parkinson’s disease — a warning sign that may appear several years before clinical symptoms show up. The researchers looked at data from an aging study with more than 2200 participants. Their focus? The ability to identify odors. About the study participants: 2267 men of Japanese ancestry Average age at time of initial study: 80 All free of symptoms of dementia at beginning of study All free of symptoms of Parkinson’s disease at beginning of study Researchers checked in with … Continue reading →

A Closer Look At Parkinson Disease

Parkinson disease is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects different parts of the brain. More than one million people in North America and more than four million people worldwide have the disease. As the general population ages, the number of cases of Parkinson disease increase. Parkinson disease is known as late onset if symptoms begin after the age of fifty and early onset if symptoms begin before the age of fifty. If symptoms appear before the age of twenty, the disease may be called juvenile onset Parkinson disease. Most cases of Parkinson disease occur in people with … Continue reading →

My Life as a Lab Rat: Finding a Study

I’ve been interested in clinical research trials for a while now. You may remember that my grandmother — who has Alzheimer’s disease — took part in a medical trial for the Excelon patch, a new delivery method for an Alzheimer’s drug. In oral form, the medication often causes severe gastrointestinal side effects; in patch form, the side effects are dramatically decreased. Although that particular medication didn’t benefit my grandmother much, her participation in the trial will help make the medication available for Alzheimer’s patients all over. But I was curious about research trials before that. Back home in New Jersey, … Continue reading →

Popular Actor’s Controversial Appearance In Political Ads

I think I have seen actor Michael J. Fox on TV more in the last day or so than I did when he appeared on “Family Ties” (the NBC sitcom that made him famous). Chock it up to Election Day and the fact that the award-winning actor has been tapped to appear in a slew of 30-second TV ads (airing on television and on the Internet) for five Democrats who support stem cell research, including Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle (I live in Wisconsin and the governor’s race is a hotly contested battle). Ironically, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that all … Continue reading →