Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

Bangalore, June 27 : Columbia Asia Referral Hospital in Yeshwanthpur, has claimed that it has achieved success in curing neuro-degenerative disorder Parkinson's disease after conducting Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery. New developments like DBS technology helped one of it's patient Nagraj (name changed) and many others like him to return to a normal life. Nagraj underwent Deep Brain stimulation surgery at Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Yeshwanthpur, Bangalore. Post-surgery he has shown significant improvements and is back to performing all his routine activities, the hospital authority claimed. The doses of his medicines have come down and the side effects of medicines have reduced. Nagaraj, a scholar by profession, was suffering from Parkinson's disease for the past 10 years. He suffered from slowness of movements, difficulty maintaining balance, muscle rigidity and tremors. He was on medication for several years which resulted in severe side effects in the form of dizziness and hallucinations. He thought that he would now be reduced to a bedridden person and had almost given up on life. The main feature of Parkinson's disease involves disruption of motor functions (muscle and movement). However, lack of energy, mood changes, memory loss and pain can also occur as part of the … Continue reading →

TUCSON - The Michael J. Fox Foundation recently granted Tucson-based MSDx $75,000 dollars with the task of detecting Parkinson's Disease long before the major symptoms hit. "The problem with Parkinson's disease is by the time you diagnose it, with shaking hands or something like that, all the nerves involved in controlling that have been damaged or destroyed. So coming in with a treatment is no use at that point," said Dr. Ramesh Nayak, director of research for MSDx. MSDx is a company developing monitoring and diagnostic products for brain diseases. Working out of the business incubator labs at the UA Tech Park, they've already been successful with monitoring the progression of multiple sclerosis. The Michael J. Fox Foundation has given them the chance to move into Parkinson's. "So when these nerves degenerate, this damaged nerve tissue is just sitting there, and the immune system is activated. Cells from the immune system come from the blood, gobble up this damaged material, and we found that some of these cells come back into the blood stream," said Nayak. Those damaged nerves in that blood have a dark pigment, a sign of Parkinson's. That is what the folks at MSDx are looking for … Continue reading →

Click photo to enlarge Dr. Komaroff Dear Dr. K: My husband was just diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Can you discuss it in your column? I don't know anything about it. Dear Reader: Parkinson's disease is a disease of the central nervous system. It causes problems with body motions and movement. PD worsens over time. Brain cells "talk" to each other by making and releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters. When one cell releases a neurotransmitter, another picks up the signal. One type of neurotransmitter is dopamine. Dopamine is made in an area deep in the brain called the basal ganglia. That is also where movements are coordinated. The dopamine made by cells in the basal ganglia is necessary for the basal ganglia to function properly. PD develops when dopamine-producing nerve cells (neurons) in the brain die and not enough dopamine is produced. This affects movement. (I've put an illustration of this process on my website, AskDoctorK.com.) PD usually begins as a slight tremor or stiffness that is most obvious at rest. When the hands of a PD sufferer are resting in his lap, they may tremble. But when he reaches for a cup of coffee, for instance, his hands may stop trembling. … Continue reading →

DEAR DOCTOR K: My husband was just diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Can you discuss it in your column? I don't know anything about it. DEAR READER: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a disease of the central nervous system. It causes problems with body motions and movement. PD worsens over time. Brain cells talk to each other by making and releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters. When one cell releases a neurotransmitter, another picks up the signal. One type of neurotransmitter is dopamine. Dopamine is made in an area deep in the brain called the basal ganglia. That is also where movements are coordinated. The dopamine made by cells in the basal ganglia is necessary for the basal ganglia to function properly. PD develops when dopamine-producing nerve cells (neurons) in the brain die and not enough dopamine is produced. This affects movement. (I've put an illustration of this process on my website, AskDoctorK.com.) PD usually begins as a slight tremor or stiffness that is most obvious at rest. When the hands of a PD sufferer are resting in his lap, they may tremble. But when he reaches for a cup of coffee, for instance, his hands may stop trembling. As the illness worsens, tremors … Continue reading →

DEAR DOCTOR K: My husband was just diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. Can you discuss it in your column? I dont know anything about it. DEAR READER: Parkinsons disease (PD) is a disease of the central nervous system. It causes problems with body motions and movement. PD worsens over time. Brain cells talk to each other by making and releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters. When one cell releases a neurotransmitter, another picks up the signal. One type of neurotransmitter is dopamine. Dopamine is made in an area deep in the brain called the basal ganglia. That is also where movements are coordinated. The dopamine made by cells in the basal ganglia is necessary for the basal ganglia to function properly. PD develops when dopamine-producing nerve cells (neurons) in the brain die and not enough dopamine is produced. This affects movement. (Ive put an illustration of this process on my website, AskDoctorK.com.) PD usually begins as a slight tremor or stiffness that is most obvious at rest. When the hands of a PD sufferer are resting in his lap, they may tremble. But when he reaches for a cup of coffee, for instance, his hands may stop trembling. As the illness worsens, tremors … Continue reading →

Public release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Susan Rosenbaum srosenbaum@laurensciences.com 212-737-0455 Lauren Sciences LLC New York, N.Y., June 25, 2013 -- Lauren Sciences LLC, a privately-held biotechnology company continuing development of its novel V-Smart platform technology, announced today the award of a second grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). The company recently completed the first stage of developing V-Smart-based therapeutics for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD), which was funded by MJFF, whereby it demonstrated targeted delivery of GDNF (glial-derived neurotrophic factor) to the substantia nigra and the striatum, brain regions in which neurons degenerate during the course of PD. Targeted delivery of GDNF to these brain regions was achieved by systemic administration of the company's V-Smart nanovesicles that were customized for GDNF delivery. The new MJFF grant has been awarded to investigate efficacy of the V-Smart vesicles in a PD animal model. "We thank The Michael J. Fox Foundation for their second award to us," said Susan Rosenbaum, J.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lauren Sciences. "This new MJFF grant has been awarded following the success of our Parkinson's disease project over the past year, and provides recognition of … Continue reading →

June 20, 2013 Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a compound that could counter Parkinson's disease in two ways at once. In a new study published recently online ahead of print by the journal ACS Chemical Biology, the scientists describe a "dual inhibitor" -- two compounds in a single molecule -- that attacks a pair of proteins closely associated with development of Parkinson's disease. "In general, these two enzymes amplify the effect of each other," said team leader Phil LoGrasso, a TSRI professor who has been a pioneer in the development of JNK inhibitors for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. "What we were looking for is a high-affinity, high-selectivity treatment that is additive or synergistic in its effect -- a one-two punch." That could be what they found. This new dual inhibitor attacks two enzymes -- the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) and the c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) -- pronounced "junk." Genetic testing of several thousand Parkinson's patients has shown that mutations in the LRRK2 gene increase the risk of Parkinson's disease, while JNK has been shown to play an important role in neuron (nerve cell) survival in a range of neurodegenerative diseases. As … Continue reading →

Parkinson's sufferer shares 'before and after' testimonial When many of us are considering trying something new, we look for genuine testimonials from others who have tried it and give it two thumbs up. But Andrew Johnson's testimonial is for much more than an anti-ageing face cream. The Parkinson's sufferer from New Zealand has had Deep Brain Stimulation surgery, in which two probes were 'dropped' into his brain and hooked up to a pace maker in his chest. The wire, which travels between the two via his neck, sends electricity to his brain, helping to control his tremors. The brave 39-year-old, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's four years ago, has hailed the surgery as "life changing" and wanted to recommend it to other Parkinson's sufferers. He did this by filming himself before and after switching his neuro-stimulator off to show the astounding difference it makes to his tremors. See the following video to witness the change... Originally posted here: Video: Kiwi Parkinson's sufferer shows effect of Deep Brain Stimulation treatment … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/t4v5sr/neurodegenerative) has announced the addition of the "Neurodegenerative Diseases Market to 2018 - New product entries in both niche and broader Parkinson's disease treatment will boost market despite patent cliff" report to their offering. Neurodegenerative Diseases Market to 2018 - New product entries in both niche and broader Parkinson's disease treatment will boost market despite patent cliff. A highly dynamic market scenario is expected in Neurodegenerative diseases in the next few years, with a number of patent expiries and anticipated new drug approvals. The market for Alzheimer's disease has not seen any recent major breakthroughs, and is expected to experience a decline due to the patent expiry of several major products. The market for Parkinson's disease, on the other hand, is expected to experience growth due to the anticipated approval of expensive products such as Duodopa in the US, in spite of the fact that it will soon hit its own patent cliff. Additionally, the overall aging of populations the developed world is expected to increase the number of patients suffering from these diseases due to their relatively high prevalence in the elderly. Scope - The report analyzes treatment usage patterns, market characterization, pipeline analysis, … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 20 Jun 2013 - 11:00 PDT Current ratings for: Drug Compound Attacks Parkinson's Disease On Two Fronts Study leader, Professor Phil LoGrasso explained that the two proteins (enzymes) tend to amply each others' effect. "What we were looking for is a high-affinity, high-selectivity treatment that is additive or synergistic in its effect - a one-two punch." The scientists believe that is exactly what they have found - a one-two punch. The new dual inhibitor attacks two enzymes - JNK (c-jun-N-terminal kinase) and LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2). After testing many thousands of Parkinson's patients, those with mutations in the LRRK2 gene had a much higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease. On the other hand, JNK plays a major role in nerve cell (neuron) survival in several neurodegenerative diseases. Hence, they have become popular targets for medications to treat Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. A dual inhibitor, i.e. one with both HNK and LRRK2 inhibitors, is more preferable to having two separate medications because there would be no risk of drug-drug interactions, as well as having to adjust individual inhibitor doses for best efficacy. … Continue reading →