Parkinson Disease

A special, noncontact boxing program was shown to potentially improve quality-of-life (QOL) and likelihood of exercise among patients with Parkinson disease compared with those who did not participate, according to preliminary study findings originally to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting.

Changes in brain tissue iron relate to poorer cognition in Parkinson disease, according to a recent study.

Patients with Parkinson disease were found to be more likely to experience vision and eye issues, such as blurry vision, dry eyes, trouble with depth perception, and problems adjusting to rapid changes in light, compared with people without the disorder, according to study findings.

A recent study aiming to evaluate the impact of motor and non-motor wearing-off—a common phenomenon in Parkinson disease (PD)—found that the fluctuations have an impact on the activities of daily living and quality of life, with non-motor wearing-off having the greater impact.

In individuals with mild to moderate Parkinson disease, Tai Chi was shown to be a potentially effective meditation technique that may slow down disease progression, according to study findings.

In a preliminary study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting, researchers found that patients with Parkinson disease who participated in a table tennis exercise program once a week for 6 months exhibited an improvement in their motor skills.

Higher out-of-pocket (OOP) drug costs for 3 common neurologic conditions—Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, and peripheral neuropathy—were associated with lower medication adherence among patients, which can potentially intensify symptom burden and result in higher costs.

These findings suggest that baseline white matter hyperintensities can act as a predictive marker or therapeutic target for the development of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in patients with early stage Parkinson disease.

China reported a sharp uptick in coronavirus cases; a Massachusetts lawsuit claims Juul advertisements targeted children; motion picture technology is being used in rehab centers.

Compared with standard care, patients with Parkinson disease and related disorders who received palliative care exhibited improved quality of life and better symptom burden at 6 months after intervention, according to study findings.

Researchers analyzed how cognitive ability relates to ambulatory status in Parkinson.

A novel protein misfolding cyclic amplification technology was able to distinguish between 2 progressive neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy, signaling potential improvements in diagnosis of PD.

Patients with early-onset Parkinson disease may have been born with disordered brain cells that mishandled dopamine for decades, according to a study released Monday.

Balance training of moderate intensity (BT) may increase anti-inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophic factor levels of patients with Parkinson disease (PD), according to study findings.

This week, the top managed care stories included cancer deaths falling for the 25th straight year; a study finding no link between talc powder and ovarian cancer; a poll finding 1 in 4 patients with Parkinson disease may be misdiagnosed.

In a poll of people with Parkinson disease, more than 1 in 4 (26%) participants reported having been misdiagnosed, with a further 21% having to see their general provider 3 times before being referred to a specialist.

The motor and non-motor symptoms of patients with Parkinson Disease were shown to slightly improve with a weekly exercise regimen of physical and cognitive exercises, according to research presented at Future Physiology 2019.

The drug, HU-308, is aimed at treating levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). The animal study showed that it was as effective as amantadine, the only available treatment for dyskinesias; combining HU-308 with amantadine was also more effective than either drug used alone.

Caregivers of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) experiencing symptom recurrence after a period of symptom control, known as OFF periods, reported that PD had a greater impact on their paid employment through variables such as loss of earnings, loss of opportunities, or ability to maintain employment compared with caregivers for patients without OFF periods.

Study results presented at AMCP Nexus 2019 in National Harbor, Maryland, showed that 65.4% of patients with parkinson disease reported experiencing symptom recurrence, known as OFF periods, which impedes work productivity and employment.

Dopamine receptor D3 (DRD3) signaling regulates the dynamic of the acquisition of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory features by astrocytes and microglia, favoring microglial activation and promoting neuroinflammation—the pathogenic process leading to neurodegeneration in many disorders, including Parkinson disease, according to a recent study.

Alexithymia—the inability of recognizing and verbalizing emotions and distinguishing them from bodily sensations—may be identifiable early on in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy with predominant parkinsonism (PSP-P) and PSP with Richardson’s syndrome (PSP-RS).

A disturbed relationship between chaperone proteins and the protein α-synuclein was linked to cell damage and the development of Lewy bodies, which are common in those diagnosed with Parkinson disease, according to study findings.

A study aiming to determine whether blood cells expressing α‐synuclein (α‐syn) can differentiate Parkinson disease (PD) from healthy controls (HC), finding that there is potential usefulness of blood cells expressing α‐syn as a biomarker for PD.

A minimally invasive procedure that applies pulses of focused ultrasound to the brain was found to be safe and effective in reducing tremors and improving the quality of life in patients with Parkinson disease and essential tremor, according to research to be presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Researchers discovered new molecular drivers of Parkinson disease (PD) and determined their impact on the functions of genes involved in PD, potentially leading to novel treatments, according to study findings.

The Leap Motion Controller system used with serious games may be an effective option for a rehabilitation tool for improving coordination, speed of movements, and fine upper limb dexterity in patients with Parkinson disease, according to a recent study, published by the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.

The EPA proposal to limit science used in rulemaking was discussed by panel members during a hearing held today by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, with patient confidentiality serving as a major issue.

States can reduce Medicaid spending if the beneficiaries are also veterans, explains a veteran who started outreach in Washington state, which has since saved over $100 million since 2002.

Researchers uncovered that patients with Parkinson disease could benefit from immune modulation as an alternative treatment, due to the condition’s influence on immune imbalance, according to study findings.