Dear Dr. Roach: A friend of mine has Parkinsons disease. She is 90 years old and has been very active for her age, but recently she has not enjoyed life as much as she had. What do you know about Parkinsons? Are there any cures or relief? W.W. Answer: Parkinsons disease is caused by loss of dopamine in cells in a deep area of the brain. The cells are responsible for smooth, coordinated movement. As a consequence, people with Parkinsons usually have a tremor, a rhythmic shaking of the hands while at rest, often worse on one side. Pillrolling is a characteristic movement of the forefinger and thumb. Muscles become rigid, and as the disease progresses, the muscle rigidity causes people with Parkinsons to get frozen, unable to move at all for a few seconds or longer. Slow movement is common. The gait can become shuffling, which can predispose the patient to falls. Parkinsons disease affects more than a million North Americans and usually is diagnosed in people over 60. Those diagnosed younger than age 60 frequently have a more rapidly progressive form, but the disease is variable. Often, the face shows less emotion than before the diagnosis, but its … Continue reading →

Dear Dr. Roach: A friend of mine has Parkinsons disease. She is 90 years old and has been very active for her age, but recently she has not enjoyed life as much as she had. What do you know about Parkinsons? Are there any cures or relief? W.W. A: Parkinsons disease is caused by loss of dopamine in cells in a deep area of the brain. The cells are responsible for smooth, coordinated movement. As a consequence, people with Parkinsons usually have a tremor, a rhythmic shaking of the hands while at rest, often worse on one side. Pillrolling is a characteristic movement of the forefinger and thumb. Muscles become rigid, and as the disease progresses, the muscle rigidity causes people with Parkinsons to get frozen, unable to move at all for a few seconds or longer. Slow movement is common. The gait can become shuffling, which can predispose the patient to falls. Parkinsons disease affects more than a million North Americans and usually is diagnosed in people over 60. Those diagnosed younger than age 60 frequently have a more rapidly progressive form, but the disease is variable. Often, the face shows less emotion than before the diagnosis, but its … Continue reading →

NESS ZIONA, Israel, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuroDerm, Ltd. today announced that abstracts reporting results from a phase I study in healthy volunteers, and preliminary results from a phase IIA study inadvanced Parkinson's patients, of ND0612, have been selected for presentation at the 17th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, June 16th-20th in Sydney, Australia. ND0612 is a proprietary levodopa/carbidopa liquid drug formula under development for continuous administration through a sub-cutaneous (SC) delivery patch that would maintain constant levodopa plasma concentrations. Details on the Presentations are as follows: Title: Constant Therapeutic Levodopa Plasma Concentrations Maintained by Continuous Subcutaneous Administration of ND0612, a Novel Formulation of Levodopa/Carbidopa Abstract #: 452 Presenter: Peter LeWitt Poster session: Parkinson's Disease: Clinical Trials Date and time: Tuesday, June 18th, 12:30pm Location: Bayside, level, 1 gallery B Title: ND0612, A Novel Formulation of Levodopa/Carbidopa for Continuous, Subcutaneous Administration, Achieves Steady-State Levodopa Plasma Concentrations in Parkinson's Disease Patients Abstract #: LBA26 Presenter: Nir Giladi Poster session: Late Breaking Abstracts Date and time: Wednesday, June 19th, 12:00pm Location: Exhibit hall #5 About NeuroDerm NeuroDerm is an emerging pharmaceutical company that develops therapies for the treatment of CNS diseases. NeuroDerm's technology is based on proprietary reformulations … Continue reading →

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's & Mental Health Faster Method to Detect Parkinsons May Lead to Better Control of Symptoms This disorder of the nervous system affects movement and usually strikes seniors over 60; see video MSUs Rahul Shrivastav chats with Parkinsons patient Peter Hasbrook. June 13, 2013 - Parkinsons disease is a neurological disorder that affects a half million people in the United States, with about 50,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. And, it normally strikes older people as the pass age 60. There is no cure and, until now, no reliable method for detecting the disease. But a research team from Michigan State has developed an innovative detection method they say is a major breakthrough in diagnosing Parkinsons in early stages - the point at which treatment to control symptoms is most effective. Parkinson's, a disorder of the nervous system that affects movement, occurs when nerve cells in the brain stop producing the chemical dopamine, which helps control muscle movement. Without dopamine, nerve cells cant properly send messages, causing the loss of muscle function. (See more in box below from MedlinePlus.) The method of detection, developed in part by Rahul Shrivastav, professor and chair of MSUs Department of Communicative Sciences and … Continue reading →