Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Highland Instruments, Inc., (Highland) today announced award of a multi-year SBIR Grant from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH-NINDS) for the clinical evaluation of Highlands ElectroSonic Stimulation (ESStim) technology for the treatment of Parkinsons Disease (PD)1. The main academic partner collaborator in this grant and location of the clinical trial will be Spaulding Rehabilitation (Spaulding) Hospitals Laboratory of Neuromodulation (Boston). Felipe Fregni, MD, PhD, MPH, will be the Lead Clinical Investigator. Dr. Fregni is the Director of the Laboratory of Neuromodulation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Bill Edelman, CEO and Chairman of the Board for Highland commented, We are thrilled to have received award of the SBIR Grant for the clinical evaluation of ESStim. We are currently investigating the potential benefits of ESStim for the management of osteoarthritis pain and look forward to potentially expanding the clinical capabilities of this technology in Parkinsons disease. Dr. Fregni is a pioneer in the world of noninvasive brain stimulation, having conducted groundbreaking trials exploring neuromodulation treatments for chronic pain, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. Timothy Wagner, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Founder for Highland commented, Following years … Continue reading →

By Clare Goldwin PUBLISHED: 17:45 EST, 30 July 2012 | UPDATED: 09:12 EST, 31 July 2012 When Nikki Baudains was diagnosed with Parkinsons, one of the few positive things that seemed to come out of it was a new burst of creativity. While previously the closest shed come to being an artist was face-painting children at fetes, two years ago a few months after starting a new medication she had a burning desire to paint. Suddenly, art dominated her life; she produced thousands of canvases some 2,000 in the past 18 months alone and exhibited near her home in Jersey. Compulsion: Nikki Baudains painted 12 hours a day. Her obsessive behaviour was a side-effect of the medication she was taking for Parkinson's Like many other Parkinsons sufferers, Nikkis obsessive behaviour was a side-effect of her medication. But while hers was expressed creatively, there have been other examples of Parkinsons patients developing more troubling behaviour, such as gambling or sex addictions. Those affected find themselves trapped in an almost impossible situation: their compulsions are caused by medication, but they cant stop taking it because it would leave them unable to function physically. For Nikki, 48, her obsession has come at a … Continue reading →

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Decision Resources, one of the worlds leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that through examination of U.S. patient-level claims data, that patient share of Teva/Lundbecks Azilect among recently treated Parkinsons disease patients continues to grow, increasing 8 percent between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the fourth quarter of 2011. Treatment Algorithms in Parkinsons Disease examines prescription drug use for more than 23,000 diagnosed, drug-treated Parkinsons disease patients. Use of Azilect may be driven in part by its milder side effect profile compared with selegiline (Somerset Pharmaceuticals Eldepryl, generics), making Azilect a safer treatment choice among monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitors. Among recently treated patients who progressed to Azilect, the majority added the agent to their preceding line of therapy rather than discontinue the preceding line. Additionally, most patients progressed to Azilect from generic levodopa-carbidopa fixed-dose combinations, with the majority of these patients adding Azilect to levodopa-carbidopa therapy. Parkinsons disease patients moving from levodopa-carbidopa treatment to Azilect or adding Azilect to their levodopa-carbidopa therapy likely need additional treatment to control motor symptoms. Azilects mild side effect profile along with data suggesting possible disease-modifying capabilities make it the preferred MAO-B inhibitor, … Continue reading →

Bill Edelman, chairman, Highland Instruments Highland Instruments Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research grant over the next few years to study the use of its ElectroSonic Stimulation (ESStim) technology for the treatment of Parkinsons Disease. Bill Edelman, chairman of the board for Highland, told Mass High Tech only that the grant, through the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH-NINDS), is substantial, but did not disclose the amount. The ESStim has been in a Phase 1 trial for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain of the knee since October 2011, said Edelman. Highland, which was founded in 2007 and operates out of small Boston office, has as its main academic partner in the grant, the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospitals Laboratory of Neuromodulation in Boston, according to a statement from the company. Following years of extensive pre-clinical development, I am excited to see the potential benefits of ESStim being brought into the clinic, said Timothy Wagner, Chief Scientific Officer and founder of Highland in a statement. We hope that ESStim will overcome limitations of other reported non-invasive brain stimulation technologies. Read the original: Highland gets SBIR grant to study Parkinson’s treatment … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/n8xzh5/handbook_of_parkin) has announced the addition of the "Handbook of Parkinson's Disease, Fifth Edition" book to their offering. This blue-ribbon guide has long prevailed as one of the leading resources on Parkinson's Disease (PD). Fully updated with practical and engaging chapters on pathology, neurochemistry, etiology, and breakthrough research, this source spans every essential topic related to the identification, assessment, and treatment of PD. Reflecting the many advances that have taken place in the management of PD, this source promotes a multidisciplinary approach to care and supplies new sections on the latest pharmacologic, surgical, and rehabilitative therapies, as well as essential diagnostic, imaging, and nonmotor management strategies for PD. Key Topics Covered: - Early Iconography of Parkinson's Disease - Epidemiology of Parkinsonism - Differential Diagnosis of Parkinsonism - Pathophysiology and Clinical Assessment of Parkinsonian Symptoms and Signs - Autonomic Dysfunction and Management - Sleep Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease Read more: Research and Markets: Handbook of Parkinson's Disease, Fifth Edition 2012 Contains New Sections on the Latest ... … Continue reading →

A Phase I trial assessing the drug's safety in human patients is under way By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 16:00 EST, 24 July 2012 | UPDATED: 19:32 EST, 24 July 2012 Early results from animal studies suggest new class of drug could be very effective against brain diseases One pill with the potential to treat conditions including Alzheimers disease, multiple sclerosis and strokes has been unveiled by scientists. Given early enough, it may even be able to stop full-blown Alzheimers from taking hold. It works by dampening down the inflammation thought to be at least partly to blame for many degenerative brain conditions, as well damage caused by head injuries and strokes. Animal tests have been encouraging and the pill has been given to humans for the first time, although the results have yet to be released. Early results from animal studies suggest it could be effective against a plethora of devastating brain conditions. They include Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), motor neurone disease, frontotemporal dementia, and complications from traumatic brain injury. See the original post here: Wonder pill could treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's AND multiple sclerosis … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2012) A new and powerful class of antioxidants could one day be a potent treatment for Parkinson's disease, researchers report. A class of antioxidants called synthetic triterpenoids blocked development of Parkinson's in an animal model that develops the disease in a handful of days, said Dr. Bobby Thomas, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University and corresponding author of the study in the journal Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. Thomas and his colleagues were able to block the death of dopamine-producing brain cells that occurs in Parkinson's by using the drugs to bolster Nrf2, a natural antioxidant and inflammation fighter. Stressors from head trauma to insecticide exposure to simple aging increase oxidative stress and the body responds with inflammation, part of its natural repair process. "This creates an environment in your brain that is not conducive for normal function," Thomas said. "You can see the signs of oxidative damage in the brain long before the neurons actually degenerate in Parkinson's." Nrf2, the master regulator of oxidative stress and inflammation, is -- inexplicably -- significantly decreased early in Parkinson's. In fact, Nrf2 activity declines normally with age. "In Parkinson's patients you can clearly see … Continue reading →

iStockphoto.com Getting a diagnosis for Parkinson's disease might be as easy as placing a phone call. There's currently no cure for Parkinson's, a deliberating neurological disease. There's also no blood test that can detect it, meaning early intervention is almost impossible. But soon there might be a shockingly easy way to screen for Parkinson's disease. It would be as simple as picking up the telephone and saying "ahhh." One of these voices tests positive for Parkinson's disease. Can you tell the difference? Find out if you're right at the bottom of this story. "There's some evidence, admittedly weak, that voice disturbances may well be one of the first or early indicator of the disease," mathematician Max Little tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz. Little is head of the Parkinson's Voice Initiative and he's created an algorithm that can determine whether or not a person has Parkinson's just by the sound of their voice. Right now, the algorithm has a 99 percent success rate. A Surprising Result Little worked on this algorithm while he was getting his PhD at Oxford. It didn't occur to him that it could be used to detect Parkinson's disease until a chance encounter … Continue reading →

Public release date: 20-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Brian Kladko brian.kladko@ubc.ca 604-827-3301 University of British Columbia Severe influenza doubles the odds that a person will develop Parkinson's disease later in life, according to University of British Columbia researchers. However, the opposite is true for people who contracted a typical case of red measles as children they are 35 per cent less likely to develop Parkinson's, a nervous system disorder marked by slowness of movement, shaking, stiffness, and in the later stages, loss of balance. The findings by researchers at UBC's School of Population and Public Health and the Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, published online this month in the journal Movement Disorders, are based on interviews with 403 Parkinson's patients and 405 healthy people in British Columbia, Canada. Lead author Anne Harris also examined whether occupational exposure to vibrations such as operating construction equipment had any effect on the risk of Parkinson's. In another study, published online this month by the American Journal of Epidemiology, she and her collaborators reported that occupational exposure actually decreased the risk of developing the disease by 33 percent, compared to people whose jobs involved no exposure. Meanwhile, Harris found that those exposed … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (July 20, 2012) Conditions such as Parkinson's disease are a result of pathogenic changes to proteins. In the neurodegenerative condition of Parkinson's disease, which is currently incurable, the alpha-synuclein protein changes and becomes pathological. Until now, there have not been any antibodies that could help to demonstrate the change in alpha-synuclein associated with the disease. An international team of experts led by Gabor G. Kovacs from the Clinical Institute of Neurology at the MedUni Vienna has now discovered a new antibody that actually possesses this ability. "It opens up new possibilities for the development of a diagnostic test for Parkinsonism," says Kovacs, highlighting the importance of this discovery. "This new antibody will enable us to find the pathological conformation in bodily fluids such as blood or CSF." A clinical study involving around 200 patients is already underway, and the first definitive results are expected at the end of 2012. The tests being carried out in collaboration with the University Department of Neurology, led by Walter Pirker, are designed to determine the extent to which the new antibody can be used as an early diagnostic tool in order to understand the condition better and be able to treat it more … Continue reading →