Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

Health and Medicine for Seniors Dance helps people with Parkinsons, maybe healthy senior citizens, too Ballroom dancing could help people with Parkinsons improve their balance and mobility, and maybe do the same for other seniors By Tucker Sutherland, editor, SeniorJournal.com Dec. 4, 2014 Researchers at the University of Southhampton, UK, recently announced that participants in their study who had Parkinsons and took part in ballroom dance lessons improved their balance, confidence and posture. They are not the first to discover that dancing can make life better and safer for Parkinsons patients, who are also almost exclusively senior citizens. Maybe seniors without PD should also consider how this exercise reduced falls in the PD group. One clear risk factor for Parkinson's is age. The average age of onset is 60 years and the risk rises significantly with advancing age. In one year, a third of people over 65 will have a fall, but two thirds of people with Parkinsons will experience a fall. After an initial fall, or if people start to be unsteady, they could develop a fear of falling which will then have an impact on their mobility and result in reliance on a caregiver or a healthcare service. … Continue reading →

Lexington, Kentucky (PRWEB) December 03, 2014 Gismo Therapeutics Inc. is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $235,000 Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research grant to investigate therapeutics directed against a newly identified disease pathway in Parkinsons disease. Gismo Therapeutics expertise is in small molecule compounds that target glycosaminoglycans, which have been identified as key molecules that promote the spread of neurodegenerative diseases into previously unaffected neurons. The grant was co-awarded to Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D., the Jay Van Andel Endowed Chair in Parkinsons Research and Director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Science at Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) in Grand Rapids, Mich. The project, Targeting internalization and aggregation of alpha-synuclein proteopathic seeds with glycosaminoglycan interacting small molecules (GISMO): A novel therapeutic strategy for Parkinsons disease seeks to validate a little-explored disease pathway linked to the spread of Parkinson's disease. In this pathway, heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan (HS-GAG) mediates internalization and aggregation of alpha-synuclein proteopathic seeds, which can lead to the clumps of misfolded alpha-synuclein protein that often are found in the brains of people with Parkinsons. Recent literature has linked these clumps of abnormal protein to the diseases spread. Discovering ways to interfere with this pathway have … Continue reading →

Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, Florida (PRWEB) December 02, 2014 The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center announces a series of free public seminars on the use of adult stem cells for various chronic, degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief. The seminars will be held on Sunday, December 7, 2014, at 1:00pm and 3:00pm at the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, 1515 N. Federal Highway, Suite 105, Boca Raton, FL 33432 and Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 2:00 pm at the Thasos Greek Taverna, 3330 E. Oakland Park Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308. Please RSVP at (561) 331-2999. The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center abides by investigational protocols using adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) which can be deployed to improve patients quality of life for a number of chronic, degenerative and inflammatory conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (found within a cellular mixture called stromal vascular fraction (SVF)). ADSCs are exceptionally abundant in adipose tissue. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 1-Dec-2014 Contact: Connie Hughes Connie.Hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health @WKHealth December 1, 2014 - French neurosurgeon Alim Louis Benabid and American neurologist Mahlon DeLong were recently named winners of the 2014 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for their roles in developing deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of Parkinson disease. The December issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, includes a special tribute to Dr. Benabid, the first neurosurgeon to receive this prestigious award. Neurosurgery is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. Drs. Benabid and DeLong are honored for groundbreaking research in developing DBS--a nondestructive form of neuromodulation therapy that has improved motor function and quality of life for thousands of patients with Parkinson disease. "The discovery and adoption of DBS has ushered in a new era of restorative neurosurgery," according to a cover essay by Dr. Ashwin Viswanathan of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and colleagues. Recognition for Critical Research Leading to DBS for Parkinson Disease Dr. DeLong performed early research identifying the brain areas involved in motor dysfunction in Parkinson disease. In a pivotal 1990 study in monkeys with an experimental form of Parkinsonism, … Continue reading →

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 27, 2014 Researchers have learned that simply the expectation of learning stimulates brain activity among individuals with Parkinsons. For individuals with Parkinsons disease, the placebo effect activates the brain, providing a response similar to that experienced after the administration of actual medications. Researchers say the study clearly shows the relationship between psychology and medicine. In the study, investigators at the University of Colorado Boulder and Columbia University investigated the placebo influence to better understand the relationship between brain dopamine, expectations, and learning. Past research has shown that while Parkinsons disease is a neurological reality, the brain systems involved may also be affected by a patients expectations about treatment. The new study explains how the placebo treatmentwhen patients believe they have received medication when they have not works in people with Parkinsons disease. For these individuals, investigators have determined the placebo effect activates dopamine-rich areas in the brain. The study is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. The findings highlight the power of expectations to drive changes in the brain, said Dr. Tor Wager, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at University of Colorado Boulder … Continue reading →

Therapy involves injecting a virus into the brain which induces production of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Photograph: Hugh Macknight/PA Wire Sheila Roy, a woman on an experimental gene therapy treatment for Parkinsons disease, never imagined three years ago that she would be well enough to write a book. The 66-year-old from Bedfordshire, England, is to speak today at an international conference hosted by NUI Galway. She has experienced progressive improvements since she volunteered for the radical treatment in 2011, she said. It goes in stages, but I took a big step up just two weeks ago, Ms Roy told The Irish Times . Her neurologist, Prof Roger Barker of the University of Cambridge, who will participate in the presentation, notes she has already been able to reduce her medication by 50 per cent. I had Parkinsons for 17 years, and was not well at all, when I heard about this treatment, Ms Roy said of her decision to volunteer for trials of ProSavin, a viral gene therapy manufactured by Oxford BioMedica. It involves injecting a virus into the brain which induces production of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Deficiency of nerve-controlling dopamine causes the neurodegenerative condition, which affects an estimated four million people … Continue reading →

Learning-related brain activity in Parkinson's patients improves as much in response to a placebo treatment as to real medication, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and Columbia University. Past research has shown that while Parkinson's disease is a neurological reality, the brain systems involved may also be affected by a patient's expectations about treatment. The new study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, explains how the placebo treatment -- when patients believe they have received medication when they have not -- works in people with Parkinson's disease by activating dopamine-rich areas in the brain. "The findings highlight the power of expectations to drive changes in the brain," said Tor Wager, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU-Boulder and a co-author of the study. "The research highlights important links between psychology and medicine." Parkinson's patients have difficulty with "reward learning," the brain's ability to associate actions with rewards and make motivated decisions to pursue positive outcomes. Reward learning is supported by neurons that emit dopamine when an action, like pushing a particular button, leads to a reward, like receiving money. Reward learning is impaired in Parkinson's patients because the disease causes the … Continue reading →

The power of positive thinking appears to have tangible benefits for people with Parkinson's disease and could have broader implications, according to a new study co-authored by a University of Colorado associate professor. Learning-related brain activity in Parkinson's patients improves as much in response to a placebo treatment as to real medication, according to the study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. It was co-authored by Tor Wager, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, and by researchers at Columbia University. "I think there's so much hype around the fact that placebos work, that they do everything or they don't do anything at all," Wager said. "I think the truth sort of lies somewhere in between. It was surprising to me that the placebo effect and drug effects were very comparable." Funded with "a couple of hundred thousand dollars" by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Wager said, the study shows how the placebo treatment patients being led to think they have received medication, although they have not works in people with Parkinson's disease by activating the dopamine-rich areas in the brain. Wager said the results underscore the power of expectations to effect changes in the brain. "Many … Continue reading →

A British woman diagnosed with Parkinsons disease almost 20 years ago said a fog lifted in her head after corrective genes were injected into her brain. Sheila Roy, 66, is one of six people in the world who received the radical treatment, which in her case has allowed her to think clearly and quickly again. Sheila, from Bedfordshire in England, is a patient of Roger Barker of the University of Cambridge. The two will share their experience of the experimental drug ProSavin at a international conference in NUI Galway later this week. The viral gene therapy, manufactured by Oxford BioMedica, is undergoing a 10-year clinical trial for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. The once-off treatment, which is injected directly into the brain, induces the production of dopamine, a chemical essential for movement control. Neurodegenerative diseases are currently treated using drugs that neither address the underlying causes of the disease, nor prevent neurodegeneration. Sheila, who is married, was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 1995. She continued to work as a nurse for 10 years until her illness made it impossible for her to continue. My medication was becoming less effective, she said. I suffered from increased, involuntary movement. My arms and … Continue reading →

LCT completes recruitment of all patients in Parkinsons trial Sydney & Auckland, 3 November 2014 Living Cell Technologies Limited has completed recruitment of all patients for the Phase I/IIa clinical trial of the regenerative cell therapy NTCELL for Parkinsons disease. The Phase I/IIa clinical trial is an open-label investigation of the safety and clinical effects of NTCELL in patients who can no longer respond to current therapy. It is directed by Dr Barry Snow MBChB, FRACP, FRCPC, an internationally recognised clinician and researcher in Parkinsons disease who leads the Auckland Movement Disorders Clinic at the Auckland District Health Board. Dr Ken Taylor, LCT chief executive, says, I congratulate the clinical team at Auckland Hospital for the coordination and interaction with all required regulatory and ethical authorities required to successfully recruit all patients for this innovative clinical study. Now we look forward to the clinical study outcome in 2015. We remain excited about the potential for NTCELL to be the first disease modifying treatment for patients who are failing the current conventional treatment for Parkinsons disease. For further information: http://www.lctglobal.com Living Cell Technologies Living Cell Technologies (LCT) is an Australasian biotechnology company researching and developing cell therapies to treat diseases with … Continue reading →