Health News

Mechanism of abnormal movements induced by drug treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Many people with Parkinson’s disease develop abnormal movements called L-DOPA induced dyskinesia, a major side effect of long-term medication. The mechanism underlying this side effect has been unknown. In this study, researchers have revealed relation between changes of neuronal activities and dyskinesia. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the common age-related neurological disorder affecting 7-10 million people […]

Health Problems

Gut Bacteria Affecting Parkinson’s Treatment

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is treated by levodopa, which is a prodrug capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier before being metabolized to dopamine, a vital neurotransmitter in the brain. However, certain gut bacteria interfere with this treatment, leading to unpredictable fluctuations in the motor response to levodopa and pushing up the dosage levels unnecessarily. Image Credit: […]

Health News

Abnormal expression of genes in psychopathy

The expression of many genes that have previously been associated with autism is abnormal also in violent psychopathy, a new study shows. The researchers used stem cell technology to analyse the expression of genes and proteins in the brain cells of psychopathic violent offenders. Published in Molecular Psychiatry, the findings may open up new avenues […]

Health News

Estrogen improves Parkinson’s disease symptoms: Insight into sex-based differences could lead to new treatments

Brain-selective estrogen treatment improves the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in male mice, according to new research published in JNeurosci. These findings may help explain the sex differences in Parkinson’s disease and could lead to estrogen-based treatments. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the death of neurons involved in movement, which may be partially caused by gene […]

Health News

Protein-linked sugars are crucial for the uptake of proteins linked to Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 6 million people worldwide, is caused by the buildup of alpha-synuclein proteins in the brain. The biological function of alpha-synuclein is still not well understood, but because of its role in neurodegenerative diseases, researchers are actively studying this protein to understand the mechanisms of the disease […]

Health News

Stopping Parkinson’s disease before it starts

An Osaka University-led research team has recently published findings that provide a ray of hope for the millions of Parkinson’s disease (PD) sufferers worldwide. Although more common in those aged over sixty, PD can strike at any age, with an estimated prevalence of 41 per 100,000 people in their forties. And while not fatal in […]

Health News

Sniffing out Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to progressive brain cell death and extensive loss of motor function. Despite much research being conducted on this disease, there are no definitive diagnostic tests currently available. Now, researchers report the identification of compounds that make up the signature odor of the disease with the help an […]

Health Problems

Altered brain activity patterns of Parkinson’s captured in mice

The tell-tale tremors of Parkinson’s disease emerge from abnormal activity in a brain region crucial for voluntary movement. Using a mouse model of the disease, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) identified unusual patterns of brain activity that appear to underlie its signature symptoms. Parkinson’s disrupts the basal ganglia, […]