Parkinson’s Disease – Page 8

Blood biomarker detects whether depression is due to neurodegeneration

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Rich Haridy

A test could be used as a rapid screening tool in clinics to determine whether a patient's cognitive problems are due to neurodegeneration.

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications is reporting a single blood-based biomarker can detect the presence of 13 neurodegenerative disorders, from frontotemporal dementia to motor neuron disease. The test cannot specifically distinguish each disorder but instead is proposed as a way to determine whether patients with memory problems are suffering from the early stages of neurodegenerative disease.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Brain, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia, Blood, Diagnosis, King’s College London, New Atlas Audio

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Nasal spray gel directly delivers Parkinson’s drugs to the brain

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Michael Irving

A hydrogel nasal spray could be the most direct route for drugs to treat Parkinson's disease

Getting drugs into the brain is no easy feat, but the nose is emerging as one of the most direct routes. Now, researchers in the UK have developed a hydrogel that can be administered as a nasal spray, lining the tissue and delivering a common Parkinson’s drug straight to the brain.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Parkinson’s Disease, Brain, Blood-brain barrier, Drug, Drugs, Drug delivery, York University, King’s College London

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Painless skin swabs used to detect Parkinson’s with high accuracy

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Nick Lavars

Scientists at the University of Manchester have been exploring how painless skin swabs might be used to detect Parkinson's, and have now made a significant discovery

As it stands, diagnosing Parkinson’s can be a complicated process that relies on symptoms, careful examinations and case-by-case assessments of physicians, but lately we’re seeing how more clear cut signs of disease could arise in the gut, our tears and even our skin. Scientists at the University of Manchester (UM) focusing on this lattermost possibility have made a significant discovery, finding that swabs that gather chemical information from the skin can be used to distinguish Parkinson’s patients from healthy controls with high accuracy.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Parkinson’s Disease, Skin, University of Manchester, New Atlas Audio

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Vision changes could predict cognitive decline in Parkinson’s patients

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Rich Haridy

Researchers suggest eye tests could be a way to effectively predict which Parkinson's disease patients are likely to develop dementia

A pair of newly published studies from scientists at University College London are offering novel insights into how the neurodegeneration associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) leads to cognitive decline. The research suggests minor vision problems can precede cognitive decline by up to 18 months.

Category: Science

Tags: Parkinson’s Disease, Vision, Dementia, University College London, Brain, Neuroscience, MRI, New Atlas Audio

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Vision changes could predict cognitive decline in Parkinson’s patients

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Rich Haridy

Researchers suggest eye tests could be a way to effectively predict which Parkinson's disease patients are likely to develop dementia

Category: Science

Tags: Parkinson’s Disease, Vision, Dementia, University College London, Brain, Neuroscience, MRI, New Atlas Audio

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New insights into how COVID-19 can impact the brain and CNS

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Rich Haridy

New research demonstrates SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect brain cells

A robust new study led by scientists from Yale School of Medicine has comprehensively demonstrated how SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can infect the brain and central nervous system (CNS). The study validates a growing body of observational research attributing neurological issues to COVID-19.

Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle

Tags: Coronavirus (COVID-19), Virus, Brain, Neuroscience, Yale, Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Neurological, New Atlas Audio

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Artificial enzyme could slow Parkinson’s by targeting protein clumps

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Michael Irving

Johns Hopkins scientists have created artificial enzymes that may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease by halting the spread of pathogenic protein clumps

Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s are characterized by clumps of misfolded proteins accumulating and killing brain cells. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed an artificial enzyme that may stop these clumps from spreading, providing a new potential treatment for Parkinson’s.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Parkinson’s Disease, Neuroscience, Protein, Enzyme, Artificial, New Atlas Audio

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Google-Glass-like smell stimulation device proposed as dementia therapy

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Rich Haridy

It's hoped a prototype wearable device will allow clinical trials to test whether olfactory stimulation can help treat neurodegenerative disease

A novel wearable device has been proposed to deliver electrical pulses stimulating the olfactory system as a way of preventing or slowing dementia-related neurodegeneration. A dysfunctional sense of smell is suspected to be one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s so it is hypothesized these diseases could be prevented by olfactory stimulation.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia, Wearable, Brain stimulation, Neuroscience, Smell, University of Otago

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Tomatoes engineered to produce vital Parkinson’s disease medicine

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Rich Haridy

A tomato engineered to produced L-DOPA, a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease

Scientists have genetically modified a tomato to produce L-DOPA, a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease. The researchers suggest this innovation could be an easier and cheaper way to produce the essential medicine in regions where access to the synthesized pharmaceutical is restricted.

Category: Science

Tags: Drugs, Genetic engineering, Food technology, Plants, Parkinson’s Disease, New Atlas Audio

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How smartphone typing patterns can track neurodegenerative disease

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Rich Haridy

Research suggests changes in keystroke patterns over time could indicate progression of neurological diseases such as MS

A new study, published in the journal Chaos, is suggesting tracking changes over time in the way multiple sclerosis (MS) patients type on their smartphone touchscreens could be a useful method to monitor neurological degeneration.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Smartphones, Apps, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Neurological, Brain

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