Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

Bel Marra Health, who offers high-quality, specially formulated vitamins and nutritional supplements, is reporting on a new study that explains how a new saliva test is making breakthroughs in Parkinsons disease. Toronto, ON (PRWEB) February 09, 2013 As Bel Marra Health reports in its article (http://www.belmarrahealth.com/brain-function/the-breakthrough-saliva-test-for-parkinsons-disease/) Parkinsons disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects elderly adults and is characterized by the occurrence of tremors, slow mobility, and a peculiar walk, in which the back is usually arched and the head positioned forward. As the Bel Marra Health article reads, according to a recent medical report published in the journal Translational Neurodegeneration, a saliva test may be helpful in detecting Parkinsons disease based on the presence of a protein called a-synuclein, which is produced by the brain and controls motor functions. The report explained that the amount of this protein is generally lower among Parkinsons patients compared to healthy adults. The saliva test shows great promise in the medical field because this procedure is less invasive compared to the collection of cerebrospinal fluid for protein detection. In addition, the saliva test is relatively easy to perform because patients diagnosed with this neurodegenerative disorder often excessively produce excessive amounts of saliva, resulting … Continue reading →

Proposals sought for impactful uses of patient data, collected with smartphones, in Parkinson's monitoring and treatment NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) is launching a $10,000 research challenge to spur ideas for using patient data, collected using smartphones, in Parkinson's disease (PD) monitoring and treatment. "Our Foundation is committed to developing opportunities for patients to contribute data about the real experience of Parkinson's disease, which researchers can leverage in pursuit of a cure," said Maurizio Facheris, MD, MSc, associate director of research programs at MJFF. "Many symptoms of Parkinson's disease can be simply and objectively measured with smartphones. We have such a data set and we're challenging the research community to help us put it to use." Mobile phones are some of the most pervasive types of monitoring devices, with smartphones carrying basic sensors that can be used to measure and monitor many features of PD to give a window into a patient's life. Researchers, collaborating entrepreneurs and industry experts at Gecko Ventures and MIT have developed a basic collection application, and collected data from a group of Parkinson's patients and control subjects. Now MJFF is challenging research teams to develop the best way … Continue reading →

KALAMAZOO, Mich., Feb. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Metabolic Solutions Development Company, LLC (MSDC) announced today that it has received an award from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) to conduct preclinical research on a first-in-class mTOT Modulator, MSDC-0160, as a potential treatment for levodopa induced dyskinesia (LID). The study will be undertaken in collaboration with Patrik Brundin, MD, PhD, of Van Andel Institute (VAI). The aim of the study, titled "Potential of Novel Insulin Sensitizers to Treat Dyskinesia," is to determine if MSDC-0160 can prevent or reverse LID in a preclinical model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Should the results show that MSDC-0160 can significantly modify LID in vivo, MSDC plans to begin a clinical trial to examine the effects of MSDC-0160 in PD patients with LID. Such a clinical trial could begin in 2014. MSDC-0160MSDC-0160 is a novel once-a-day oral insulin sensitizer and the first in a new class of therapeutic agents called mTOT Modulators. mTOT is newly identified protein complex in the inner mitochondrial membrane that appears to function as a molecular "sensor switch" that coordinates carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. MSDC-0160 selectively modulates proteins in the mTOT complex, effecting pyruvate utilization and resulting in … Continue reading →

Feb. 6, 2013 Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a protein trafficking defect within brain cells that may underlie common non-familial forms of Parkinson's disease. The defect is at a point of convergence for the action of at least three different genes that had been implicated in prior studies of Parkinson's disease. Whereas most molecular studies focus on mutations associated with rare familial forms of the disease, these findings relate directly to the common non-familial form of Parkinson's. The study was published today in the online edition of the journal Neuron. The defective pathway is called the "retromer" pathway, in part because it can guide the reutilization of key molecules by moving them back from the cell surface to internal stores. In this study, defects in the retromer pathway also appear to have profound effects on the cell's disposal machinery, which may explain why Parkinson's disease brain cells ultimately accumulate large protein aggregates. The trafficking defects associated with Parkinson's can be reversed by increasing retromer pathway activity, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy. No current therapies for Parkinson's alter the progression of the disease. The researchers also found evidence that, even in unaffected individuals who simply carry common genetic … Continue reading →

Findings implicate two genetic variants that disrupt protein sorting in neurons Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a protein trafficking defect within brain cells that may underlie common non-familial forms of Parkinsons disease. The defect is at a point of convergence for the action of at least three different genes that had been implicated in prior studies of Parkinsons disease. Whereas most molecular studies focus on mutations associated with rare familial forms of the disease, these findings relate directly to the common non-familial form of Parkinsons. The study was published recently in the online edition of the journalNeuron. The defective pathway is called the retromer pathway, in part because it can guide the reutilization of key molecules by moving them back from the cell surface to internal stores. In this study, defects in the retromer pathway also appear to have profound effects on the cells disposal machinery, which may explain why Parkinsons disease brain cells ultimately accumulate large protein aggregates. The trafficking defects associated with Parkinsons can be reversed by increasing retromer pathway activity, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy. No current therapies for Parkinsons alter the progression of the disease. The researchers also found evidence that, even in … Continue reading →

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Also Included In: Genetics;Biology / Biochemistry;Alzheimer's / Dementia Article Date: 07 Feb 2013 - 3:00 PST Current ratings for: Non-Familial Parkinson's Cause And Treatment Clue Found In Three Genes 5 (2 votes) The researchers, from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York, write about their findings in the 6 February issue of Neuron. Most people with Parkinson's disease have the sporadic, non-familial form of the disease, with a small proportion having familial Parkinson's, or the form that can be attributed to known genetic factors. The defect is in a pathway known as the "retromer" pathway, because it guides the recycling of key proteins by moving them back from the surface of the cell to its internal stores. The researchers found that defects in this pathway may disrupt the ability of cells to dispose of unwanted proteins, which may explain why brain cells of people with Parkinson's accumulate clumps of protein. They suggest the defects can be reversed by increasing pathway activity, offering a possible route to treatment. There are currently no treatments that alter progression of Parkinson's. They also found evidence that the molecular changes behind the defects in the retromer … Continue reading →

SALISBURY, Md. - You may not be able to tell by looking at him, but Art Cooley knows Parkinson's all too well. He tells WMDT "in 2008/2009 I began to exhibit symptoms and after going to the doctor up to Johns Hopkins resources, they confirmed that I had Parkinson's disease." Considered a neurological disorder, Parkinson's can be treated by neurologists, but it can take a doctor trained as a movement specialist to provide a proper diagnosis. A recent study estimates as many as 7,000 people are living with this disease on Delmarva, but there aren't any movement specialists on the peninsula. This has brought the Lower Shore Parkinson's Support Group, the MAC center, and Johns Hopkins to work together to provide a new way to help patients diagnose the debilitating disease. Dr. Renee Fredericksen is the Special Projects Director for MAC Inc. in Salisbury. There, she runs the Caregiver Resource Center where a new Telemedicine program will start mid February. "Telemedicine enables us to use telephone lines and computer access to bring doctors with specialties and other specialist in the world right into your home," says Fredericksen. While the consultations aren't available in the home just yet, Fredericksen says that … Continue reading →

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) today announced that it has enrolled the first patient in the Phase IV clinical trial of Azilect. The study will evaluate the cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. The study will evaluate the effect of Azilect on cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's, as assessed by the Scales for Outcomes of Parkinson's Disease-Cognition after 24 weeks of treatment. The study includes 170 patients at 30 sites in the US. Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease is a major cause of disability and increased care partner burden, said Dr. Robert A. Hauser, director of the Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Center at the University of South Florida, the co-primary investigator of the study. As currently there are no available treatments for cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease, any therapy that may demonstrate benefit would be welcomed for this significant unmet need." Teva chief scientific officer and president Global R&D Dr. Michael Hayden said, Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease is common in non-demented Parkinson's patients and is associated with increasing age, disease duration and disease severity." Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - http://www.globes-online.com - … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --One of the first known surgeons to offer Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) as an outpatient treatment, Christopher Duma, MD, FACS, is bringing a new option and hope to the estimated 60,000 Americans diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease every year. The pioneering brain surgeon, who has successfully controlled tremors in thousands of movement disorder patients, is now performing his minimally invasive implantations at DISC Surgery Center at Newport Beach. Patients can literally walk in, have the surgery and be home in time for dinner, with their quality of life improved exponentially. DISC's outpatient setting also means individualized attention, fewer complications and a dramatically reduced risk of infection. With a marked improvement in 90% of cases, DBS is delivered by an implant that conducts a fine electrical impulse to particular parts of the brain. Wires are implanted in the brain and are connected to a device under the skin near the collar bone that regulates a continuous current. Despite being called 'stimulation' DBS actually shuts down areas of the brain that are causing the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Unlike medications that tend to have negative side effects over time, DBS has a positive record for minimal side … Continue reading →

In July 2009, during one of their daily dog walks, Libbe Erickson noticed that her husband, Kim, was dragging his feet. A year later, Kim, a pilot for Delta Airlines, was on a layover in Honolulu. He got up one morning, went into the bathroom of his hotel and started shaving. He looked into the mirror and saw that his right hand was shaking. "It wasn't from being tired or from working out," Kim Erickson said. "I had just woken up; I was fairly rested." When he got home, Erickson went to see a neurologist in Stillwater. The diagnosis: Parkinson's disease, a disorder of the brain that leads to tremors as well as trouble with walking, movement and coordination. There is no known cure, but the Ericksons, who live in Grant, are working to change that. The couple became research advocates for the Parkinson's Disease Foundation and are working to get other Parkinson's patients involved in studies that could lead to new drugs. "The only way we're going to make advances is if people living with Parkinson's participate in research studies," Kim Erickson said. "The real hindrance with Parkinson's research right now is the number of study participants is so … Continue reading →