Parkinson’s disease is complex and difficult to study, given the complicated interactions between brain cells. A new model, however, is giving major new insights into what goes wrong in neurons in Parkinson’s patients. Scientists took skin cells from patients, and by changing their environmental signals in the laboratory, coaxed them into becoming neurons. Study of… [Continue Reading]

An international collaboration led by academics at the University of Sheffield, has shed new light into Parkinson’s disease, which could help with the development of cures or treatments in the future. The collaboration, which was led by Professor Peter Redgrave from the University’s Department of Psychology, suggests that many of the problems suffered by patients… [Continue Reading]

In a study that sheds new light on the causes of Parkinson’s disease, researchers report that brain cells in Parkinson’s patients abandon their energy-producing machinery, the mitochondria. A shutdown in fuel can have devastating effects on brain cells, which consume roughly 20 percent of the body’s energy despite making up only 2 percent of body… [Continue Reading]

We’ve all heard the saying about people who can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, but it turns out that walking and talking is difficult enough, especially for people with Parkinson’s disease who are at increased risk for falls with injury. A new study found that older adults with Parkinson’s disease altered their… [Continue Reading]

REM sleep disturbances constitute an early marker of neurodegenerative diseases. This was demonstrated in an article published in 2006. A new study applies neuroimaging techniques to identify patients with REM sleep disturbances who will develop neurodegenerative disorders over the short term. One of the challenges of modern medicine is the diagnosis of diseases before they… [Continue Reading]

Dr Tiago Fleming Outeiro describes how his group is slowly uncovering the molecular basis of Parkinson’s disease by studying the associated human protein in yeast cells. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder without any known cure that affects around 6 million people worldwide. The symptoms, which include rigidity, difficulty in initiating movements and resting tremors,… [Continue Reading]

Researchers have found that people with Parkinson’s disease can perform automated tasks better than people without the disease, but have significant difficulty switching from easy to hard tasks. The findings are a step towards understanding the aspects of the illness that affect the brain’s ability to function on a cognitive level. “We often think of… [Continue Reading]