Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

AMSTERDAM, October 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Launch helps mark the voluntary organisation's 20thanniversary celebrations in Amsterdam The European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) has launched the third and final booklet in its Life with Parkinson's series. This latest edition concludes a four-year awareness campaign, which aims to highlight the lack of understanding and knowledge concerning Parkinson's that exists throughout Europe today. The booklet's launch, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was one of the many activities in a weekend dedicated to celebrating the organisation's 20th anniversary year and its commitment to improving the lives of people with Parkinson's (PwPs). To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56619-epda-launches-life-with-parkinsons-booklet The Life with Parkinson's awareness campaign began in 2008 and the accompanying booklet series has since achieved Europe-wide acclaim from the Parkinson's community, with people living with the disease and healthcare professionals praising the EPDA for its work. "We say that our condition and feelings are impossible to communicate, but this booklet persuaded me that there is a way to share our situation with others," said Bohumila indelov, a PwP from the Czech Republic. "I have to praise all the booklets," added Olga Bandelj, a PwP from Slovenia. "They are very useful. I use them … Continue reading →

Washington, October 6 (ANI): Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) investigators have conducted the first genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). The study points to the involvement of specific genes and alterations in their expression as influencing the risk for developing PD. Jeanne Latourelle, DSc, assistant professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study's lead author and Richard H. Myers, PhD, professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study's principal investigator and senior author. A recent paper by the PD Genome Wide Association Study Consortium (PDGC) confirmed that an increased risk for PD was seen in individuals with genetic variants in or near the genes SNCA, MAPT, GAK/DGKQ, HLA and RIT2, but the mechanism behind the increased risk was not determined. "One possible effect of the variants would be to change the manner in which a gene is expressed in the brains, leading to increased risk of PD," said Latourelle. To investigate the theory, the researchers examined the relationship between PD-associated genetic variants and levels of gene expression in brain samples from the frontal cortex of 26 samples with known PD and 24 neurologically healthy control samples. Gene expression was determined using a microarray … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Also Included In: Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy Article Date: 05 Oct 2012 - 4:00 PDT Current ratings for: Parkinson's Patients Benefit From Physical Therapy 3.6 (5 votes) In the USA, the term is Physical Therapy. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australasia people say Physiotherapy. Parkinson's disease management has traditionally been centered on drug therapy. Recently, however, doctors have been progressively embracing rehabilitation therapies, including physical therapy as a supplement to medications and neurosurgical treatment. Dr Claire Tomlinson and team set out to determine what effect rehabilitation therapies might have on patients with Parkinson's disease. They gathered data from 39 randomized trials involving 1,827 people. Within those studies they assessed a wide range of physical therapy methods that were used to treat patients, including dance, treadmill training, exercises and physical therapy. The researchers assessed 18 physical therapy outcomes, which showed clear improvements in nine areas. They detected three especially positive outcomes from physical therapy treatment in the following areas: Parkinson's patients demonstrated that they were able to walk faster or maintain their balance more effectively, and without intervention, after undergoing physical therapy sessions. Dr Tomlinson, said: Continued here: Parkinson's Patients Benefit From … Continue reading →

Pig cells will be transplanted into the brains of New Zealanders with Parkinson's disease as part of an experimental treatment of the neurological disorder. Kiwi scientists will undertake the clinical trial after Living Cell Technologies, which has its research and development based in this country, got the go-ahead to test the treatment in humans next year. Government approval was given this week for the trial. 'Receiving regulatory approval to conduct clinical trials is a critical step in developing a treatment for this debilitating condition,' said the company's chief executive Andrea Grant said in a statement. She says pre-clinical trials suggest the treatment, known as NTCELL, can protect brain tissue which would otherwise die, potentially delaying or preventing the effects of Parkinson's. Only those who have been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease for at least four years will be part of the study, which will last for up to 60 weeks. The trial will involve patients getting either the pig cells or the current gold standard of treatment - deep brain stimulation. The leader of Auckland District Health Board's movement disorder clinic, Barry Snow, will oversee the trial. 'This represents an exciting new potential option for patients,' Dr Snow said. Pre-clinical … Continue reading →

Pig cells will be transplanted into the brains of New Zealanders with Parkinson's disease as part of an experimental treatment of the neurological disorder. Kiwi scientists will undertake the clinical trial after Living Cell Technologies, which has its research and development based in this country, got the go-ahead to test the treatment in humans next year. Government approval was given this week for the trial. "Receiving regulatory approval to conduct clinical trials is a critical step in developing a treatment for this debilitating condition," said the company's chief executive Andrea Grant said in a statement. She says pre-clinical trials suggest the treatment, known as NTCELL, can protect brain tissue which would otherwise die, potentially delaying or preventing the effects of Parkinson's. Only those who have been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease for at least four years will be part of the study, which will last for up to 60 weeks. The trial will involve patients getting either the pig cells or the current gold standard of treatment - deep brain stimulation. The leader of Auckland District Health Board's movement disorder clinic, Barry Snow, will oversee the trial. "This represents an exciting new potential option for patients," Dr Snow said. Pre-clinical … Continue reading →

Pig cells will be transplanted into the brains of New Zealanders with Parkinson's disease as part of an experimental treatment of the neurological disorder. Kiwi scientists will undertake the clinical trial after Living Cell Technologies, which has its research and development based in this country, got the go-ahead to test the treatment in humans next year. Government approval was given this week for the trial. "Receiving regulatory approval to conduct clinical trials is a critical step in developing a treatment for this debilitating condition," said the company's chief executive Andrea Grant said in a statement. She says pre-clinical trials suggest the treatment, known as NTCELL, can protect brain tissue which would otherwise die, potentially delaying or preventing the effects of Parkinson's. Only those who have been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease for at least four years will be part of the study, which will last for up to 60 weeks. The trial will involve patients getting either the pig cells or the current gold standard of treatment - deep brain stimulation. The leader of Auckland District Health Board's movement disorder clinic, Barry Snow, will oversee the trial. "This represents an exciting new potential option for patients," Dr Snow said. Pre-clinical … Continue reading →

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Amarantus BioSciences, Inc. (AMBS), a biotechnology company developing new treatments for brain-related disorders including Parkinson's disease and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) centered on its unique proprietary anti-apoptotic therapeutic protein known as MANF, today announced the commitment by former Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl linebacker E.J. Henderson to support the further development of Amarantus' TBI research collaboration with Banyan Biomarkers. Mr. Henderson will be working alongside NFL veterans Jack Brewer and Corey Chavous to raise awareness and broaden the support base for the Amarantus-Banyan research collaboration by utilizing the Coalition for Concussion Treatment (#C4CT) awareness campaign on Twitter, led by Brewer Sports International. "Concussions and their long-term side effects are a huge problem for NFL players and alumni," said Mr. Henderson. "I have been following Amarantus since they announced their collaboration with Banyan last November, and I was impressed with the initial success achieved this summer. As a result, I've decided to become actively involved with Amarantus in order to help bring their research to the forefront in the mainstream media. I believe these types of advances in scientific research can ultimately help current NFL players and NFL alumni who are at an unusually high … Continue reading →

BACKGROUND: Parkinsons disease is when the nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine are slowly destroyed, and dopamine is the brain chemical that helps to control muscle movement. Because of the lack of dopamine, Parkinsons is characterized by shaking and difficulty walking and moving. While Parkinsons is normally diagnosed in persons over the age of 50 years old, younger adults can also develop the disease and typically forms of Parkinsons that can run in the family are to blame when younger individuals develop Parkinsons. (Source: http://www.nih.gov) TREATMENT: No cure for Parkinsons disease exists but there are medications meant to help control symptoms, mostly by increasing the amount of dopamine in the brain. Some severe side-effects are associated with Parkinsons medication such as hallucinations, vomiting, diarrhea, and delirium. Certain lifestyle changes are also thought to help Parkinsons disease such as good general nutrition, regular rest, avoiding stress, and physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Surgeries may also help to ease symptoms for some people. These surgeries include deep brain stimulation in which electrical stimulators are placed in the brain, a surgery that destroys brain tissues cause symptoms, and stem cell transplant are still ongoing. (Source: http://www.nih.gov) NEW TECHNOLOGY TO DIAGNOSE PARKINSONS: … Continue reading →

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Amarantus BioSciences, Inc. (AMBS), a biotechnology company developing new treatments for brain-related disorders including Parkinson's disease and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) centered on its proprietary anti-apoptotic therapeutic protein known as MANF, today announced the publication of a landmark research paper on MANF, Amarantus' lead development program. The studies were conducted at the University of Helsinki, a research institution based in Helsinki, Finland, performing groundbreaking neuroscience research based in its' Department of Biosciences and Institute of Biotechnology. This research paper, published by Palgi et al., from Dr. Tapio Heino's laboratory at the University of Helsinki in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Genomics is entitled "Gene expression analysis of Drosophila Manf mutants reveals perturbations in membrane traffic and major metabolic changes," in which researchers describe the critical role MANF plays in the endoplasmic reticulum, the unfolded protein response (UPR), and dopaminergic neurons which are affected by Parkinson's Disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22494833. "This publication marks a significant advancement in our understanding of how the MANF molecule works in improving overall cellular function," said Dr. John W. Commissiong, Founder & Chief Scientist at Amarantus. "This could be very significant as the MANF Program is advanced for Parkinson's disease" The MANF-family … Continue reading →

NATICK, Massachusetts, Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation received CE Mark approval for use of its Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) System for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. The Vercise DBS System is the first and only commercially available DBS system to incorporate multiple independent current control, which is designed to selectively stimulate targeted areas in the brain. This system is an innovative technology that is designed to provide physicians fine control of stimulation. "The launch of the Vercise DBS System represents a key expansion for Boston Scientific, " said Maulik Nanavaty, senior vice president and president of Boston Scientifics Neuromodulation Division. "Vercise DBS is the only system on the market able to finely control stimulation with multiple independent current control. This unique technology underscores our commitment to improving patients lives." The first commercial implant of the Vercise DBS System was performed by a team at the University Clinic Wurzburg in Germany that included Prof. Dr. Cordula Matthies, Head of Functional Neurosurgery and Prof. Dr. Jens Volkmann, Director of the Department of Neurology. "We welcome the Vercise DBS System, " said Prof. Dr. Volkmann. "We believe it represents advancement in DBS technology through flexible and unique programming options. … Continue reading →