Parkinson's disease

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Parkinson's Treatment Shows Promise in Mice

(Newser) - Potential good news for Parkinson's patients: An experimental treatment on mice that involves implanting electrodes on the spinal cord had great success, Reuters reports. Mice that received the so-called stimulator were able to move more easily. Human trials are expected to start next year, and they could lead the way...

Ultrasound May Help Counter Brain Disease

Low frequency ultrasound shown to release neurotransmitters

(Newser) - Bombarding the brain with sound waves may not seem like the most logical way to repair damage, but a new study shows that ultrasound may have therapeutic uses, reports the Economist. While ultrasound technology has long been used to take images of human interiors, such as fetuses in the womb,...

Ailing Biotech Firms Need Shot in the Arm

Flatlining economy threatens breakthrough medical research

(Newser) - For the first time in years, the biotech industry is in desperate need of a lifeline, Bloomberg reports, as the economic crisis threatens to shove companies into bankruptcy and derail the development of potentially life-saving drugs. “I’m looking down the barrel of a gun,” admitted one CEO....

Parkinson's Linked to Lack of Vitamin D

Research finds Parkinson's patients deficient in sunshine vitamin

(Newser) - New research has strongly linked Parkinson's disease to a lack of vitamin D in the body, the BBC reports. Studies found that 55% of elderly patients with Parkinson's had low levels of the vitamin, compared to 36% of healthy elderly people. Researchers are unsure whether the deficiency is a cause...

For a Lifelong Healthy Diet, Look to the Mediterranean

Diet is healthy and satisfying, doctors say

(Newser) - A Mediterranean getaway may be too expensive these days, but a taste of the region is just what the doctor ordered. The most thorough study to date of the Mediterranean diet confirms long-held beliefs about its health benefits, writes Dr. Peter Libby in the New York Times. It’s “...

Scientists Tinker With Biological Clock

New discovery on engineered liver genes could slow aging

(Newser) - US researchers believe they have found a way to turn back the clock on the processes which make organs age. Scientists engineered genetic alterations to make the livers of older mice function like younger mice, the BBC reports. The discovery may lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's and other diseases...

Michael J. Fox Returns to TV
 Michael J. Fox
 Returns
 to TV 
Jul 17, 2008 12:50 PM CDT

Michael J. Fox Returns to TV

Will guest star on 'Rescue Me'

(Newser) - Michael J. Fox will return to the small screen next year in a four-episode guest role on FX's "Rescue Me,” the AP reports. The “Spin City” star, whose symptoms of Parkinson’s disease have become evident since his 1991 diagnosis, will play the wheelchair-bound love-interest of the...

Parkinson's Drugs Trigger Compulsive Behavior

Patients report sudden onset of addictions

(Newser) - Drugs for Parkinson's disease can be enormously beneficial, relieving patients' tremors and rigid muscles. But some patients are now complaining of an unusual side effect—extreme compulsive behavior. One woman began taking Mirapex to combat symptoms and suddenly found herself with a $200-a-day scratch-off lottery ticket habit, reports the Chicago ...

Surgery for Depression? Yup.
 Surgery for Depression? Yup. 
May 3, 2008 8:35 AM CDT

Surgery for Depression? Yup.

Deep brain stimulation, used for years to fight Parkinson's, is spreading out

(Newser) - A type of brain surgery previously used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may be effective in countering the debilitating effects of deep depression, CNN reports. A new study shows that deep brain stimulation, a process in which electrodes are inserted into problem areas in the brain and hooked...

Blood Test May Predict Dementia 6 Years Early

Some worry over boost in insurance costs; others want wider study

(Newser) - A new blood test can warn of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases six years before symptoms appear, its makers say. The assessment, set to launch this summer, could allow patients to begin fighting the ailments early with through dietary changes, exercise and drugs, the Daily Mail reports. But some...

Parkinson's Spreads to Transplanted Cells

Disease found in healthy cells grafted to sufferers' brains

(Newser) - Transplanting healthy cells into the brains of people with Parkinson's alleviates symptoms, but sufferers showed signs of deterioration as the disease spread to the grafted cells, according to two studies in the journal Nature Medicine. Scientists in Sweden and Chicago discovered similar results in patients who received cell transplants up...

Pesticides Linked to Parkinson's
Pesticides Linked to Parkinson's
Mar 30, 2008 2:18 PM CDT

Pesticides Linked to Parkinson's

Risk is greater to home gardeners than via exposure at work

(Newser) - People exposed to pesticides ran a 1.6 times higher risk of developing the neurological disease Parkinson’s, reports a new study of 600 participants. "Recreational pesticide use in the home and garden was more of a source of exposure than occupational use,” says one researcher. Experts now...

Cloned Stem Cells Best for Parkinson's

Study finds mice's own stem cells most effective vs disease

(Newser) - Scientists have found that embryonic stem cells effectively treat Parkinson's disease in lab mice, but only when the cells come from the sick mouse's own clones, Reuters reports. The study, published in Nature Medicine, created "therapeutic clones" by transferring cell nuclei into mouse egg cells and growing them into...

Sea Slugs Inspire New Brain Implant Technology

Findings could apply to people with Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries

(Newser) - Sure, it’s a warty creepy-crawly that lurks at the bottom of the ocean, but the sea cucumber has inspired scientists to create a new material that could be used in implanted brain electrodes to help people with Parkinson’s disease, reports the BBC. The creature stiffens its skin when...

Dutch Pharma Firm Preps Pot Pill
Dutch Pharma Firm Preps
Pot Pill
Jan 27, 2008 1:31 PM CST

Dutch Pharma Firm Preps Pot Pill

Drug may hit shelves in 5 years for migraine, Parkinson's victims

(Newser) - Why smoke pot when you can pop a pill? Echo Pharmaceuticals is jumping into Phase II trials for a new cannabis pill that could snag 20%-30% of the booming medical marijuana market, Reuters reports. The Dutch firm plans to sell the pill within 5 years, giving medical marijuana users a...

Embryonic Stem-Cell Issue Still Dogs GOP

Pols can't nix research and back in-vitro clinics: Time writer

(Newser) - Last week's breakthrough in stem-cell research—the creation of cells from skin rather than embryos—is a tremendous scientific advance, writes Michael Kinsley in Time magazine. But the new science doesn't let hypocritical GOP politicians dodge the controversy over embryonic stem cells: They will still be risking human lives with...

Gene Therapy for Parkinson's Delivers Major Results

Researchers find dramatic improvement

(Newser) - New evidence indicates that the first gene therapy for Parkinson's disease has achieved measurable success. Brain scans of patients receiving the treatment confirmed significant changes, supporting earlier anecdotal accounts of 65% improvements in mobility and other gains, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of ...

Dolly Scientist Dumps Embryo Cloning Method

Switches to less controversial Japanese technique

(Newser) - The scientist who created the cloned sheep Dolly is now abandoning the technique he pioneered in favor of a rival method of cell modification developed in Japan. The Japanese approach, which genetically manipulates adult human cells, has proven less controversial than embryonic stem cell research. But scientist Ian Wilmut insists...

Antibiotic May Buy Time for Treating Stroke Victims

Patients who receive acne drug in first 23 hours show 'dramatic' improvement

(Newser) - An antibiotic commonly used to treat acne has shown promise in helping stroke victims recover. Patients who got minocycline within a day of their stroke fared markedly better than those who did not, a discovery that could open the critical window for treating stroke victims from just 3 hours to...

Victim of Bad Heroin Sparks Parkinson's Treatment

Junkie offered brain for guinea pig testing

(Newser) - An addict who developed Parkinson’s-like symptoms from a nasty batch of heroin has helped researchers find a new way to treat the disease. In prison for attempted murder, Toby Govea agreed to be a human guinea pig – and let doctors experiment with “deep brain stimulation," drilling...

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