Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- XenoPort, Inc. (XNPT) announced today the inclusion of gabapentin enacarbil, the active ingredient in Horizant (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets, as a first-line therapy in new treatment guidelines created by the Task Force of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG). The manuscript, published in the current issue of Sleep Medicine, provides information for physicians determining treatment choices for restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom Disease (RLS/WED) based on the long-term benefits and risks of each major class of medications. Horizant is the only non-dopamine agonist and the only alpha-2-delta ligand approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary restless legs syndrome in adults. The last few years have seen tremendous advances in our knowledge of both the etiology of RLS/WED and its effective treatment, stated Diego Garcia-Borreguero, M.D., Chair, International Restless Legs Study Group and Director, Sleep Research Institute, Madrid, Spain. These guidelines are an important tool for guiding physicians in the choice for pharmacotherapy of patients requiring long-term treatment of RLS/WED symptoms. The guidelines state that either dopamine-receptor agonists or the alpha-2-delta ligands, which include gabapentin enacarbil, are the first-line treatment for patients with RLS/WED, and that the choice of … Continue reading →

By JANE WALSH, IrishCentral Staff Writer Published Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 7:21 AM Updated Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 9:41 AM Italian Doctor Daniel Volpe has discovered that Irish dancing has a positive effect on patients suffering from Parkinson's disease Photo by ParkinsonsItalia.it An Italian Doctors chance discovery of the therapeutic effects of Irish set dancing in the treatment of Parkinson's disease will be the subject of an international Gathering event in Co. Clare next month. Dr Daniel Volpe who is the Director of Neurological Rehabilitation at St. Raffaele Arcangelo Hospital in Venice will present his research work confirming the benefits of set dancing in the rehabilitative therapy for people with Parkinson's disease. As part of the 26th Annual International Traditional Music Festival in Feakle, the Italian neurologist will present his latest research on "The Therapeutic Effects of Irish Set Dancing in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease." The Conference will feature a series of lectures, workshops, set dancing, sean-ns dancing and a Cil. Original post: Italian doctor to present research on Irish set dancing as remedy for Parkinson's … Continue reading →

PHOENIX, July 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers from Mayo Clinic Arizona and Banner Sun Health Research Institute are working together on a diagnostic test to identify early Parkinson's disease in patients thanks to a $152,486 grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Currently, there is no accurate diagnostic test for early Parkinson's disease. The researchers believe that a procedure termed transcutaneous submandibular gland biopsy may prove to provide the needed accuracy. The test involves inserting a needle into the submandibular gland, located under the jaw, and then withdrawing the needle to obtain the core of gland tissue within. The researchers will look for a protein in the cells from patients who have early Parkinson's disease and compare this to subjects without the disease. The researchers have previously found the protein in subjects with advanced Parkinson's disease (>5 years) and now are studying people with early Parkinson's ( All subjects who participate in this study must first have a neurological research exam visit at Mayo Clinic Arizona by Charles Adler, MD PhD, Professor of Neurology and principal investigator of the study. They will then undergo a radioactive scan that detects brain signs of the disease followed by the … Continue reading →

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- The link between the loss of smell and a neurodegenerative disorder: there's a major study underway on Parkinson's Disease. Bob Wachstein was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease four years ago. "I was developing slight tremors in my right hand," said Bob. Since then researchers at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders in New Haven have a better understanding of a possible risk factor. "It turns out that by far, most people at the time they develop Parkinson's Disease have already largely lost their sense of smell," said Dr. David Russell. Bob was on a cruise, years before his diagnosis, when he realized something was wrong. "The ship tied up next to a sewage treatment plant and everybody was holding their nose and I didn't notice anything," Bob said. Now, a more ambitious study is underway. "We want to be able to identify and diagnose disease very early, hopefully we can intervene very early," said Dr. Russell. It begins with participants taking the smell identification test, where they scratch and sniff. The rest is here: Loss of smell and Parkinson's Disease … Continue reading →

Public release date: 16-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Krista Conger 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. - Clinical trials of drug treatments for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's often fail because the animal studies that preceded them were poorly designed or biased in their interpretation, according to a new study from an international team of researchers. More stringent requirements are needed to assess the significance of animal studies before testing the treatments in human patients, the researchers say. The team - led by John Ioannidis, MD, DSc, a professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and an expert in clinical trial design - assessed the results of more than 4,000 animal studies in 160 meta-analyses of potential treatments for neurological disorders from Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, spinal-cord injury and a form of multiple sclerosis. (A meta-analysis is a study that compiles and assesses information and conclusions from many independent experiments of a treatment, or intervention, for a particular condition.). They determined that only eight of the 160 studies of potential treatments yielded the statistically significant, unbiased data necessary to support advancing the treatment to clinical trials. In contrast, 108 of … Continue reading →

Deputies seize around 50 pot plants from grow operation Deputies seize around 50 pot plants from grow operation Updated: Saturday, July 13 2013 2:00 PM EDT2013-07-13 18:00:37 GMT CRAIGHEAD CO, AR (KAIT) Craighead County authorities busted a huge marijuana growing operation Friday night. According to Investigator Justin Rolland, 44-year-old Alton Lunsford was arrested Friday CRAIGHEAD CO, AR (KAIT) Craighead County authorities busted a huge marijuana growing operation Friday night. According to Investigator Justin Rolland, 44-year-old Alton Lunsford was arrested Friday Updated: Saturday, July 13 2013 1:47 AM EDT2013-07-13 05:47:49 GMT JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) - Rescue crews are on the scene of an accident that has shut down Browns Lane in Jonesboro. According to JPD, the accident happened after 9 p.m. on Highland Drive at Browns Lane, NEW DETAILS: Names released in deadly accident on Highland Drive in Jonesboro. Updated: Friday, July 12 2013 7:43 AM EDT2013-07-12 11:43:01 GMT A video that was posted by a driver detained at a DUI checkpoint has been viewed almost four million times since it went online July 4. A video that was posted by a driver detained at a DUI checkpoint has been viewed almost four million times since it went online July 4. … Continue reading →

PHOENIX, July 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --First experiencing symptoms at just 29-years-old and diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 34, Tommy Zuleger is the youngest patient ever treated at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix and he says a new "sci-fi" procedure has given him his life back. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130712/LA46804) The real estate executive recently underwent a new procedure at Barrow called Asleep Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), which involves surgically implanting a medical device, called a "brain pacemaker," while the patient is under general anesthesia. In select brain regions, DBS has provided remarkable therapeutic benefits for otherwise treatment-resistant movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, tremor and dystonia. "At first it was nothing major; my right hand would shake," recalls Zuleger, now 38. "But over time the shaking grew worse, I started to feel stiffer than a thirty-something. At thirty-four-years-old, I learned I had Parkinson's." Parkinson's disease is generally thought of as a disease affecting the elderly, but the National Parkinson Foundation reports more people are being diagnosed with the disease at a younger age. Approximately 10 percent of the one million people living with the disease in the United States are under the age of 40. Zuleger … Continue reading →

Seattle, Wa (PRWEB) July 12, 2013 Everything About Parkinsons Disease created by Lianna Marie is a new Parkinsons disease treatment book that covers natural remedies, safe methods, step-by-step techniques, diet plans, and detailed instructions on how to slow the progression of Parkinsons. In addition, in this book, people will discover all about Parkinson's disease such as causes that cause this disease, its symptoms, and treatment methods. Furthermore, the book also teaches people how they can get correctly diagnosed in determining whether it is Parkinson's disease they really have. Moreover, the book introduces to people 22 of the most common symptoms of someone with Parkinson's disease. By following this book, people also discover how fast this disease progresses, where it starts, and which nutritional supplements can help slow its progression. After Lianna Marie launched the "Everything About Parkinsons Disease" book, a lot of customers have used it for discovering the five stages of Parkinson's and ways to identify which stage they are at now. Consequently, the website Vkool.com completed a full overview about pros and cons of this book. A full overview of Everything About Parkinsons Disease on the site Vkool.com indicates that with this book, people will know how Parkinson's … Continue reading →

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- A little known neurological condition can now be potentially reversed with the right treatment. N.P.H is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. It's often misdiagnosed for Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. A Connecticut neurologist has now made it his mission to educate other doctors and patients so the proper treatment is prescribed. Carole Murgo needed a walker to get around. "I couldn't get out of bed, I couldn't walk," said Carole. She also had an over-active bladder. "That was the worst. Being an independent woman all my life and then have to go into like papers or diapers or whatever they were," Carole said. "In February she took a fall, at first they said there was blood in the brain," said Carole's husband Dominic Murgo. It took a visit to neurologist Dr. Adam Mednick for the correct diagnosis. Carole had Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus or N.P.H. "It's a gradual buildup of the fluid," said Dr. Mednick. The buildup of cerebral spinal fluid provides nutrition to the brain. "It's not because it's too much fluid produced, it's that there is not enough fluid being absorbed," Dr. Mednick said. Go here to read the rest: Dr. works to reverse medical condition … Continue reading →

Parkinson's disease not deterring determined Val 2:59pm Wednesday 10th July 2013 in News By Alexa Copeland, Reporter (Darlington) PLUCKY pensioner Val Loughborough is not letting Parkinsons disease stop her from attempting a 179-mile coast to coast bike ride this summer. Mrs Loughborough, of Barton, near Darlington, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2008 and although she got the all-clear last year, she discovered after her chemotherapy course that she has Parkinsons disease. The 69-year-old vowed not to let it hold her back and she is now in training for a bicycle ride from Walney Island, near Morcambe, to Whitby at the beginning of August. She will be joined by her 67-year-old sister Christine Brant who is travelling across from her home in Denmark in a camper van to join Mrs Loughborough at the starting point. The pair hope to complete the ride in three weeks and Mrs Loughborough said: I am apprehensive, but I am also determined. The Parkinsons does make me very slow, and the chemotherapy has damaged my feet. Training isnt going very well because since my last bike ride I have shrunk, so the bike is too big for me and I fell off, but Halfords are making … Continue reading →