Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

Listen Story audio 4min 25sec Belly laughs and rousing songs open a weekly choral gathering at the Struthers Parkinson's Center in Golden Valley. All have Parkinson's disease, a degenerative condition that attacks the nervous system. There is no cure. Even though the disease generally is not considered funny, music therapist Sandi Holten wants her patients to laugh. That helps loosen and exercise torso and face muscles rigid with stiffness, a symptom of Parkinson's. "Hah, hah, " she prompts, "Everyone!" "Hah, hah, take that, Parkinson's!" the patients shout back. Then, with Holten at an electronic keyboard, they all begin to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." After an hour of vocal exercises and songs, the chorus members bid Holten goodbye until next week's session. Next on her agenda is a one-on-one session with a patient. Art Grell, 67, is a broad-shouldered bear of a man. But he no longer has a vigorous stride. Instead, Grell takes slow, halting steps, almost a shuffle, another effect of the disease. "A person with Parkinson's has rigidity throughout their body," Holten said. "That's one of the primary symptoms." View original post here: Music helps keep Parkinson's patients going … Continue reading →

REBEKAH PARSONS-KINGWaikato Times Dilys Parker is New Zealand's first ambassador for the World Parkinson Congress. A Hamilton woman is the first New Zealand ambassador appointed to attend the World Parkinson Congress next year. Dilys Parker was diagnosed with Parkinson's seven years ago. She was working as a nurse in London and had been there for barely a year when she started noticing her finger was twitching. "I had symptoms for many years and I knew this wasn't just old age," she said. In May 2008, she was referred to a neurologist, who confirmed she had Parkinson's. "I remember I had tickets to see Vanessa Redgrave perform The Year of Magical Thinking at a theatre in London," Parker said. "I recall sitting in that packed theatre aware that my life was about to change and that no one else in this theatre knew this." The 64 year old travelled back to New Zealand to tell her children she had Parkinson's and said her brother was also diagnosed with the condition around the same time as she was. More here: Parkinson's ambassador off to the US … Continue reading →

A recently completed clinical trial for a new drug being developed by Prothena Corporation is sparking excitement within the Parkinson's community. The drug, PRX-002 demonstrated a key ability to reduce the presence of an enzyme thought to be associated with causing Parkinson's disease, and if that results in an ability to slow disease progression, it could mark an important turning point in the treatment of this vexing indication. Source: Prothena Corporation. First, a bit of background Parkinson's disease is a tough-to-treat neurological disease that affects up to 1 million Americans. More than 60,000 new cases of Parkinson's disease are diagnosed every year in the United States, and treatment options remain limited. Globally, it is estimated that there are between 7 and 10 million people living with Parkinson's disease. Typically, Parkinson's disease patients' symptoms are treated with levodopa. While levodopa isn't a cure, it does help patients control their tremors and muscle stiffness. Additional drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson's symptoms include medicines that help mimic dopamine activity, ones that prevent dopamine levels from falling, and drugs that block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the nervous system. While these drugs do help reduce patient symptoms early on, they fall short of … Continue reading →

A law experts wants the Medicare system to be modified to provide care for child abuse survivors. Redress funds for abuse survivors should be used to expand Medicare, a royal commission has been told. Louise Roufeil, executive manager of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), said an overhauled Medicare system was essential to properly help thousands of people traumatised by childhood experiences in care. Dr Roufeil said the doorway to services was very narrow and entry "very difficult and when you can get in, the capacity to fully provide treatment is limited". Her evidence on Thursday to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse came a day after the federal government knocked back a commission suggestion that Medicare be expanded. The commission had factored counselling costs into a $4.3 billion redress model to be funded by governments and non-government institutions. APS, the peak professional body for psychologists, said Medicare expansion had merit but adjustments would be needed. Eligibility for redress should be a way in, the 10 visits a year limit should not apply and providers should not be able to claim gap fees. At present, people need GP referrals to get psychological help, and gap fees can … Continue reading →

In this image from an online video, Dr. Michael Okun speaks during panel discussion about Parkinson's disease at the White House on Monday. A UF Health physician and researcher was part of a panel of experts who gathered at the White House Monday morning to discuss progress and challenges in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The mind-blowing changes we can see from research are really amazing, said Dr. Michael Okun, the co-director and co-founder of the UF Health Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. Okun, who is also the medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation, described Parkinson's as the most complex disease in medicine. Period. But he said its complexity has also led to some treatment techniques that people decades ago may not have imagined possible. He pointed to deep brain stimulation, or pushing electricity deep into a patient's brain to change its circuitry and improve their condition. Okun and other panel members said the progress to date in research and treatment could slow or stall if research funding from the National Institutes of Health is not increased. But Panel member Dr. Caroline Tanner, the director of the Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center at the San Francisco … Continue reading →

At 36, Lucy Norman was diagnosed with repetitive strain injury (RSI) But 18 months later, she began to experience tremors in her leg She had a DaT scan, which determines the level of dopamine in the brain Lack of dopamine is characteristic of Parkinsons disease It confirmed she had Parkinsons, and she was put on medication By Elaine Mclaren Published: 18:21 EST, 23 March 2015 | Updated: 18:26 EST, 23 March 2015 My wrist had started to get uncomfortable, so I decided to get it checked out, said Lucy Norman As she looked at the piece of paper in front of her, Lucy Norman massaged her fingers and puzzled over the spidery, illegible writing. As a personal assistant, she relied on her ability to take accurate, concise notes and was proud of her neat handwriting. Yet the words shed just written were no better than a scrawl. Id start writing as normal, but within just a few words, it would fade into little more than a scribble, says Lucy, 42, who lives in Barford St Michael, Oxfordshire, with her husband Angus, 64, an engineer. It was as if my hand would just stop working. Id also been having trouble typing, … Continue reading →

Prothena Corporation plc (PRTA) Prothena Corporation plc (PRTA)said that results from a Phase 1 single ascending dose study showed that administration of PRX002, a monoclonal antibody for the potential treatment of Parkinson`s disease and other related synucleinopathies, leads to mean reduction of free serum alpha-synuclein levels of up to 96% and demonstrates the pharmacodynamic effects of PRX002. Alpha-synuclein is a protein found in neurons and is a major component of pathology that characterizes several neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson`s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, which collectively are termed synucleinopathies. PRX002, the focus of a worldwide collaboration between PRTA and Roche, was safe and well-tolerated, meeting the primary objective of the study. According to PRTA, this approach may translate into a clinically meaningful delay or reversal of disease progression in patients with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that causes tremors, muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, and poor balance and mobility, affecting one in 100 people over age 60. Shares of PRTA soared more than 40% Thursday in extended-hours trading following the company's announcement. PRTA is a late-stage clinical biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel protein immunotherapy programs for … Continue reading →

Prothena Corporation plc PRTA announced that its investigational candidate PRX002 met the primary objective in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending-dose phase I study on healthy volunteers for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other related synucleinopathies. According to the press release issued by Prothena, Parkinson's disease occurs in 1 out of 100 people over the age of 60 years. It holds the second position amongst the most common neurodegenerative disorders, after Alzheimer's disease. Approximately, 7 million - 10 million patients across the world currently suffer from Parkinson's disease. We note that PRX002 is being developed under a partnership between Prothena and Roche RHHBY . Till the date of issuing the press release, Prothena received $45 million out of the potential $600 million in total milestones. In the U.S, the companies will share all profits and development and commercialization costs on a 30/70 basis (30% Prothena and 70% Roche), while, in ex-U.S. markets, Roche has the sole responsibility of developing and commercializing PRX002. It will pay up to double-digit royalties on net sales of the product (upon approval) to Prothena. Meanwhile, Prothena is enrolling patients in another phase I multiple ascending-dose study for Parkinson's disease. Results should be out in first … Continue reading →

By RTT News, March 19, 2015, 06:54:00 PM EDT (RTTNews.com) - Prothena Corp plc ( PRTA ), a late-stage clinical biotechnology company, on Thursday said a Phase I study of PRX002, its experimental Parkinson's disease drug, met its primary objective of safety and tolearability. Following the announcement, Prothena shares jumped more than 38% to $40.50 in after-hours trade on the Nasdaq. PRX002 is a monoclonal antibody for the potential treatment of Parkinson's disease and other related synucleinopathies. The drug is the focus of a worldwide collaboration between Prothena and Roche. In the Phase 1 single ascending dose study of PRX002, the drug was safe and well-tolerated. Further, results from the study showed that administration of PRX002 leads to mean reduction of free serum alpha-synuclein levels of up to 96%. These overall results were highly statistically significant. Reduction of free serum alpha-synuclein, a protein potentially involved in the onset and progression of Parkinson's disease and the target of PRX002, was shown to be robust, rapid and dose-dependent after just a single dose. The Phase 1 double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose study enrolled 40 healthy volunteers. No hypersensitivity reactions or drug-related serious adverse events were reported. PRX002 demonstrated favorable pharmacokinetic properties, supporting … Continue reading →

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Biogen (BIIB) is expected to report data for its experimental Alzheimer's treatment, BIIB-037, at the International Conference on Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Diseases on Friday, March 20. The conference "attracts international medical and scientific professionals worldwide" and is "at the forefront of unraveling the mechanisms and improving the treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other related neurodegenerative diseases," according to its website. ANALYST OUTLOOK: Biogen will report strong data for BIIB-037 and the stock should "work higher" after the data is unveiled, RBC Capital analyst Michael Yee wrote in a note to investors earlier today. Alzheimer's patients taking the high dose of Biogen's BIIB-037 drug should exhibit a stabilization of cognition levels, Yee stated. Conversely, the cognition levels of patients taking the placebo should drop slightly, the analyst predicted. The analyst believes that even a one point differential on the cognition scale called MMSE between patients taking BIIB-037 and those taking placebo, along with a stabilization for those taking the drug, would constitute "very strong" results. The patients in the study are relatively healthy and the study had a duration of only one year, he noted. No Alzheimer's drug has ever previously stabilized cognition in a study, according … Continue reading →