Category Archives: Parkinson’s Disease

Pint-sized molecule could slip through the gaps to tackle Parkinson’s

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Scientists are working to develop therapies that tackle a decline in dopamine production as a way of treating Parkinson's

The progression of Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a reduced ability of the brain to produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for the messaging that controls body movement. For this reason, much research in the area concentrates on developing therapies that can arrest this slide, and scientists in Finland have now uncovered a promising path forward in the form of a new molecule found to boost dopamine levels in mice.

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Biomarkers pave way for blood test to predict Parkinson’s progression

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Blood-based biomarkers could help predict the progression of Parkinson's disease

When Parkinson’s patients are diagnosed with the condition, there are still many unknowns around how the disease will develop and how it will impact their lives. While it is no crystal ball, a new blood test developed at Newcastle University and Cambridge University in the UK is offering hope of better patient management, with an ability to recognize early indicators of cognitive decline, dementia and progression of motor symptoms.

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Gut bacteria found to help protect brain and central nervous system from harmful viruses

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New research affirms the importance of maintaining a healthy gut microbiome

A compelling new study has described a novel association between viral infections, neurodegenerative disease, the gut microbiome, and our immune system. The research suggests gut bacteria disruptions can allow harmful viruses to trigger neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

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Animal study presents best evidence to date that Parkinson’s begins in the gut

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New research revealed how toxic proteins can travel up from the gut into the brain to ...

An important and rigorous new animal study led by scientists at Johns Hopkins University has demonstrated how the misfolded proteins thought to cause Parkinson’s disease may originate in the gut, and travel up to the brain via the vagus nerve. This research builds on a compelling body of evidence pointing to a gut-brain connection in the disease and hints at possible new treatment pathways.

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New brain imaging study reveals signs of Parkinson’s decades before symptoms appear

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A new study suggests degradation in the brain's serotonin systems could precede visible symptoms of Parkinson's ...

A new study from King’s College London upends conventional thinking about the origins of Parkinson’s disease in the brain. The research reveals distinct changes in the brain’s serotonin system can be identified up to 20 years before any Parkinson’s symptoms appear, suggesting a new biomarker to detect the disease at its earliest stages.

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Rigorous study explains how a single gut bacteria species can eat Parkinson’s disease drug

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A new study describes how the primary drug treatment for Parkinson's disease can be metabolized in ...

Following on from an incredible recent Yale University study, examining the metabolic relationship between hundreds of common medications and different gut bacterial species, a new study has offered the first rigorous description of how a single bacterial species can specifically disrupt the efficacy of a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

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Hackaday Prize Entry: Dementia-Friendly Music Player

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The loss of memory is an extremely difficult situation, not just for those afflicted, but also for immediate family, close friends, and care givers. With no cure available for dementia, providing care is an extremely demanding task for everyone involved – both mentally and physically. Patients are unable to retain recent events and information, but will most likely be able to recall some amount of past memories. This presents serious challenges when they encounter “modern” technology and cannot figure out how to use and operate everyday devices that normal people take for granted.

[rosswesleyporter]’s Dad had trouble using modern iPods …read more

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Measuring Gait Speed Passively to Diagnose Diseases

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You may not realize it, but how fast a person walks is an important indicator of overall health. We all instinctively know that we lag noticeably when a cold or the flu hits, but monitoring gait speed can help diagnose a plethora of chronic diseases and conditions. Wearables like Fitbit would be one way to monitor gait speed, but the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT thinks there’s a better way:  a wireless appliance that measures gait speed passively.

CSAIL’s sensor, dubbed WiTrack (PDF), is a wall-mounted plaque that could be easily concealed as a picture or mirror. …read more

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Hackaday Prize Entry: Analyzing and Controlling Hand Tremors

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For the millions of people suffering from Parkinson’s and other causes of hand tremor, there is new hope in the form of [mohammedzeeshan77]’s entry into the Hackaday Prize: a glove that analyzes and controls the tremors.

The glove uses an accelerometer and a pair of flex sensors to determine the position of the hand as it oscillates. A Particle Photon crunches the raw data to come up with the frequency and amplitude of the tremors and uploads it to the cloud for retrieval and analysis by medical staff.

Hand tremors can vary in frequency and severity depending on the cause. …read more

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