Parkinson's Life

“I came home, spoke to my wife, and we cried together”

Meet the man using poetry to express his feelings about Parkinson’s

“The beginning of a wonderful collaboration between countries, organisations and people”

The EPDA hosted a two-day event last week

Alison Anderson: the “cyclopath”

We spoke to the campaigner who cycled 1,000 miles

“People are capable of so much more than they think”

We talk to Dr Modugno about the centre he directs in Italy

“Life can still be fun if you have Parkinson’s”

The latest in our monthly series profiling WPC2019 bloggers

Fighting Fit: tackling Parkinson’s in the workplace

We talk to the founders of a new programme in Buckinghamshire, UK

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Brain sensors could measure dopamine levels over the course of a year

Neuroscientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US, believe they have developed brain sensors that can measure dopamine levels over a year-long period. The sensors – which are implanted about five millimetres deep – were tested on animals and recorded dopamine levels for up to 393 days. To ensure results were accurate over a longer period of time, scientists designed sensors that would not provoke an immune reaction. If the new technology is developed for human use, it could help doctors measure dopamine levels in people receiving deep brain stimulation – and subsequently allow them to deliver the treatment only when it is necessary. Helen N. Schwerdt, MIT postdoctoral research associate and lead author of the study published in science journal ‘Communications Biology’, said: “Understanding those relationships between chemical and electrical activity will be really important to understanding all of the issues that you see in Parkinson’s.”

New molecule could reverse neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s

Researchers at a university in Spain have discovered a new molecule which they claim can block and reverse neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s. The molecule – named SynuClean-D – is able to reduce alpha-synuclein aggregations which cause degeneration. The study – published in science journal ‘PNAS’ – explains how researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, tested over 14,000 molecules before discovering SynuClean-D. They then tested the molecule on a Caenorhabditis worm – one of the most commonly used animals when researching neurodegenerative diseases – finding that it boosted its mobility and protected it from neural degeneration. Salvador Ventura, the study coordinator, said: “Everything seems to indicate that the molecule we identified, the SynuClean-D, may provide therapeutic applications for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s in the future.”

Could art therapy help people with Parkinson’s?

A new study by US researchers will investigate the impact of art therapy on Parkinson’s motor symptoms. The study – which will be conducted by researchers at the Marlene and Paolo Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders, US – will focus on 40 participants, half of which have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The sessions will be led by professionals with a master’s degree in art therapy. It is hoped the approach will help people with Parkinson’s restore functional independence and maintain a high quality of life. Writing in the ‘Complementary Therapies in Medicine’ journal, the authors commented: “[Art therapy] could be used to improve impaired visuospatial functions in patients with PD, including visually-guided attention, shape recognition, motion perception, abstraction, sensory-motor integration, and hand-eye coordination.” In addition, the researchers believe art therapy may help improve the emotional wellbeing of participants.

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“The beginning of a wonderful collaboration between countries, organisations and people”

“I came home, spoke to my wife, and we cried together”

October 2018

Europe

Interviews

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Interviews

“I came home, spoke to my wife, and we cried together”

Europe

“The beginning of a wonderful collaboration between countries, organisations and people”

Interviews

Alison Anderson: the “cyclopath”

Interviews

“People are capable of so much more than they think”

Interviews

“Life can still be fun if you have Parkinson’s”

Interviews

Fighting Fit: tackling Parkinson’s in the workplace

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Brain sensors could measure dopamine levels over the course of a year

New molecule could reverse neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s

Could art therapy help people with Parkinson’s?

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“The beginning of a wonderful collaboration between countries, organisations and people”

“I came home, spoke to my wife, and we cried together”

October 2018

Europe

Interviews

Events

Interviews

“I came home, spoke to my wife, and we cried together”

Europe

“The beginning of a wonderful collaboration between countries, organisations and people”

Interviews

Alison Anderson: the “cyclopath”

Interviews

“People are capable of so much more than they think”

Interviews

“Life can still be fun if you have Parkinson’s”

Interviews

Fighting Fit: tackling Parkinson’s in the workplace

{categories}

{title}

Brain sensors could measure dopamine levels over the course of a year

New molecule could reverse neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s

Could art therapy help people with Parkinson’s?

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