Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

May 8, 2017 Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. Credit: Wikipedia Researchers working in the lab of Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientist Aryn Gittis, have identified two groups of neurons that can be turned on and off to alleviate the movement-related symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The activation of these cells in the basal ganglia relieves symptoms for much longer than current therapies, like deep brain stimulation and pharmaceuticals. The study, completed in a mouse model of Parkinson's, used optogenetics to better understand the neural circuitry involved in Parkinson's disease, and could provide the basis for new experimental treatment protocols. The findings, published by researchers from Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh and the joint CMU/Pitt Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC) are available as an Advance Online Publication on Nature Neuroscience's website. Parkinson's disease is caused when the dopamine neurons that feed into the brain's basal ganglia die and cause the basal ganglia to stop working, preventing the body from initiating voluntary movement. The basal ganglia is the main clinical target for treating Parkinson's disease, but currently used therapies do not offer long-term solutions. "A major limitation … Continue reading →

A cycling class unlike any other you'll find in the Gem State is having a huge impact on the lives of Idahoans living with Parkinson's disease. Dozens of people are putting in hours at the gym - not just to get in shape, but to overturn the effects of what is often a debilitating disease. What theyve found is that there is some incredible healing, and hope, in just the push of a pedal. Marilyn Simmonds is one of the class participants; she was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years ago. "I had noticed some strange symptoms like jerking with my hand, so it was time to see a neurologist and then I got the devastating diagnosis." Right away, Simmonds started treatment. First, of course, medicine. Simmonds says, at first, "The medication did help with a lot of the symptoms and yet there was something not quite right" So her doctor also recommended exercise, and after just a few rounds in the Pedaling for Parkinson's class, Simmonds says she noticed something remarkable. "My leg wasn't quite as strong, my right leg and my right foot, and then with Pedaling for Parkinsons that really has dramatically changed. I can't even tell a … Continue reading →

Antibiotic doxycycline may offer hope for treatment of Parkinson's ... Science Daily Doxycycline, an antibiotic used for over half a century against bacterial infections, can be prescribed at lower doses for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, say ... and more » Read the original: Antibiotic doxycycline may offer hope for treatment of Parkinson's ... - Science Daily … Continue reading →

May 4, 2017 Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. Credit: Wikipedia A study published in February in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that doxycycline, an antibiotic used against bacterial infections for over a half-century, can be prescribed at lower doses for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. According to the authors, doxycycline reduces the toxicity of -synuclein, a protein that, under certain conditions, forms abnormal accumulations of aggregates in central nervous system cells, which are damaged as a result. The death of dopaminergic neurons (which produce the neurotransmitter dopamine) is the main event relating to the development of symptoms including tremor, slow voluntary movement and stiffness, among others. There are currently no drugs capable of halting the progress of this degenerative process. Three Brazilian scientists participated in the study, which was supported by FAPESP: Elaine Del-Bel, affiliated with the University of So Paulo's Ribeiro Preto Dental School (FORP-USP), and Leandro R. S. Barbosa and Rosangela Itri, at the same university's Physics Institute (IF-USP) in the city of So Paulo. "We have exciting data from experiments with mice and great expectations that the neuroprotective effect will also be observed in … Continue reading →

May 2, 2017 "With this new finding, we can now generate in a dish the neuronal misfiring that is similar to what occurs in the brain of a Parkinson's patient," said Feng. Credit: Douglas Levere, University at Buffalo Abnormal oscillations in neurons that control movement, which likely cause the tremors that characterize Parkinson's disease, have long been reported in patients with the disease. Now, University at Buffalo researchers working with stem cells report that they have reproduced these oscillations in a petri dish, paving the way for much faster ways to screen for new treatments or even a cure for Parkinson's disease. The paper is published online today (May 2) in Cell Reports. "With this new finding, we can now generate in a dish the neuronal misfiring that is similar to what occurs in the brain of a Parkinson's patient," said Jian Feng, PhD, senior author on the paper and professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. "A variety of studies and drug discovery efforts can be implemented on these human neurons to speed up the discovery of a cure for Parkinson's disease." The work provides a useful … Continue reading →

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today it has approved a new drug, Xadago, for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. Roughly 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinsons disease each year and about 1 million people have have it, according to the National Institutes of Health. Xadago, or safinamide, is an add-on treatment for patients with Parkinsons disease who are taking levodopa, carbidopa or a combination of both and are experiencing times when their medications are not working well, also known as off episodes. Off episodes can cause symptoms such as tremors and difficulty walking to return in patients with Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons is a relentless disease without a cure, Dr. Eric Bastings, deputy director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a press release. We are committed to helping make additional treatments for Parkinsons disease available to patients. Xadago was shown to be effective at treating Parkinsons disease in a clinical trial of 645 patients who were also taking levodopa and experiencing off episodes. Xadago enabled participants to have more symptom-free or on time compared to a placebo, researchers in the trial found. Scientists have identified two small molecules … Continue reading →

Living Cell Technologies Limited ACN: 104 028 042 ASX: LCT OTCQX: LVCLY ASX ANNOUNCEMENT Treatment completed for all patients in Parkinsons trial 1 May 2017 Sydney, Australia & Auckland, New Zealand Living Cell Technologies Limited has completed treatment of all six patients in the third and final group of patients in the Phase IIb clinical trial of NTCELL for Parkinsons disease, at Auckland City Hospital. Four patients had 120 NTCELL microcapsules implanted into the putamen on each side of their brain, and two patients had sham surgery with no NTCELL implanted. To date there are no safety issues in any of the six patients. The company is blind to the results until 26 weeks after the completion of group 3 of the trial. The results will then be analysed in accordance with the statistical plan and the conclusions announced. This is anticipated to occur in November 2017. Thereafter the patients who received the placebo will receive the optimal treatment. The Phase IIb trial aims to confirm the most effective dose of NTCELL, define any placebo component of the response and further identify the initial target Parkinsons disease patient sub group. Providing the trial is successful, the company will apply for … Continue reading →

A physical therapist and a physical therapy assistant from Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton received certification in the LSVT BIG treatment technique. Chris Shuler and Misty Houghton are among three dozen physical and occupational therapists as well as physical and occupational therapy assistants to achieve the certification. LSVT BIG is designed to address the unique movement impairments of individuals with Parkinsons disease. Treatment is usually administered in 16 sessions over a single month (four individual 60-minute sessions per week). The protocol was developed specifically to address the unique movement impairments for people with Parkinson disease. The protocol is both intensive and complex, with many repetitions of core movements that are used in daily living. This type of practice is necessary to optimize learning and carryover of your better movement into everyday life! Patients participating in the program can improve gait speed, balance, and amplitude movements to promote improved overall mobility and quality of life. Shuler and Houghton implemented the program at Wright Memorial Hospital. Post Views: 412 Like Loading... The rest is here: Two at Wright Memorial Hospital receive certification in Par... - kttn … Continue reading →

Researchers are tapping into a century-old drug to help treat patients suffering from Parkinsons disease. During the American Academy of Neurologys 69th Annual Meeting in Boston from April 22 to 28, a research team presented new evidence from a double-blind, randomized phase III study that the drug apomorphinewhich dates back to 1865could be effective in treating Parkinsons. Levodopa has been the standard of care for Parkinsons for several years, helping to improve the quality of life and longevity of patients. However, as the disease progresses, the medication often wears off quicker after each dose, leaving patients to experience periods of immobility called off time. If a person with Parkinsons disease can reduce their off times, that can have a great impact on their everyday life, Dr. Regina Katzenschlager of Danube Hospital, affiliated with the Medical University of Vienna, Austria and study author, said in a statement. In some patients in the trial, the insecurity of unpredictable periods of incapacity was completely alleviated. Apomorphinean oral drugwas first used in the U.S. in 1950 and its use expanded in the 1990s when European doctors started using the drug to treat fluctuations in mobility that could not be controlled by pills. The researchers … Continue reading →

Neurology Advisor Parkinson's Disease Off Time Reduced With Apomorphine Neurology Advisor ... Pharmaceuticals), a 150-year-old drug, was shown to reduce off time in patients with Parkinson's disease without increasing the occurrence of dyskinesia in those with motor fluctuations that cannot be controlled with current standard-of-care ... View post: Parkinson's Disease Off Time Reduced With Apomorphine - Neurology Advisor … Continue reading →