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Covid-19 could be “a perfect storm for Parkinson’s disease”, researchers report

Scientists explore potential links between the virus and the condition

“The lockdown has affected people with Parkinson’s in India immensely”

Dr Maria Barretto on how Covid-19 is impacting the Parkinson’s community

Parkinson’s in the news: October

This month’s top Parkinson’s disease news stories from around the globe

female professional caregiver taking care of elderly woman at home

Ask the expert: How close are we to a cure for Parkinson’s disease?

We talk to the deputy CEO of the Michael J Fox Foundation

Harry Styles' mum wing walks for Parkinson's

Harry Styles’ mum Anne Twist wing walks for Parkinson’s

The campaign has raised over £10,000 for Parkinson’s disease so far

“My voice matters”: the Parkinson’s caregiver raising awareness

Advocate Leslie Peters on the challenges faced by carers

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Improving access to Parkinson’s disease resources on Amazon’s Alexa

US non-profit Parkinson’s Foundation has announced a new partnership with Amazon’s smart speaker Alexa to help more people access resources related to Parkinson’s disease. As part of the collaboration, Alexa-enabled devices will answer questions about Parkinson’s disease in English and Spanish, citing sources from the Parkinson’s Foundation. The educational initiative is aimed at people with the condition, their care partners, family and friends and health professionals – and will help them find information on topics including Covid-19 and Parkinson’s, symptoms and early signs of the condition, and more. John L Lehr, president and CEO of the Parkinson’s Foundation, said: “We are thrilled to work with Amazon to move into this exciting world of smart speakers to help even more people gain access to the information about Parkinson’s disease they need most. Our hope is that this partnership will help us further reach and better support the Parkinson’s disease community throughout every…

Scientists at MIT uncover new clues about Parkinson’s disease

Neuroscientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US, have developed new tools that could improve understanding of Parkinson’s disease. As part of a study, published in Science Advances, the tools were used on animals to investigate the relationship between two types of signals that are disrupted in Parkinson’s – dopamine signalling and beta-band oscillations (coordinated waves of electrical activity in the brain). The scientists found that while the animals performed certain tasks, beta-band oscillations increased while dopamine signalling declined in particular parts of the brain. Factors including an animal’s past experience and the reward value of a task also impacted the relationship between the two signals. Helen Schwerdt, a research scientist at MIT, said: “Considering electrical signals side by side with chemical signals is really important to understand how the brain works.” Ann Graybiel, a professor at MIT, added: “As these methods in neuroscience become more and more precise and…

People with Parkinson’s disease have a higher risk of dying from Covid-19, study finds

A new database study of around 80,000 Covid-19 patients has found that those living with Parkinson’s disease have a 30% higher risk of dying from the virus than those without the condition. The study – conducted by researchers at the University of Iowa Health Care, US – identified that Covid-19 patients with Parkinson’s disease were generally older, more likely to be male and less likely to be African American. As these factors could also affect the risk of death from Covid-19, the researchers adjusted their statistical models to account for differences in sex, age and race and found a significantly higher risk of dying from Covid-19 in the group of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Lead researcher Dr Nandakumar Narayanan said: “We recognise the limitations of this study; it is retrospective data from a single database, but we are confident that these data show that Parkinson’s disease is [an] independent risk factor…

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Covid-19 could be “a perfect storm for Parkinson’s disease”, researchers report

“The lockdown has affected people with Parkinson’s in India immensely”

Parkinson’s in the news: October

Special reports

Interviews

Global update

Special reports

Covid-19 could be “a perfect storm for Parkinson’s disease”, researchers report

Interviews

“The lockdown has affected people with Parkinson’s in India immensely”

Global update

Parkinson’s in the news: October

Special reports

Ask the expert: How close are we to a cure for Parkinson’s disease?

Global update

Harry Styles’ mum Anne Twist wing walks for Parkinson’s

Carers' Corner

“My voice matters”: the Parkinson’s caregiver raising awareness

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Improving access to Parkinson’s disease resources on Amazon’s Alexa

Scientists at MIT uncover new clues about Parkinson’s disease

People with Parkinson’s disease have a higher risk of dying from Covid-19, study finds

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Covid-19 could be “a perfect storm for Parkinson’s disease”, researchers report

“The lockdown has affected people with Parkinson’s in India immensely”

Parkinson’s in the news: October

Special reports

Interviews

Global update

Special reports

Covid-19 could be “a perfect storm for Parkinson’s disease”, researchers report

Interviews

“The lockdown has affected people with Parkinson’s in India immensely”

Global update

Parkinson’s in the news: October

Special reports

Ask the expert: How close are we to a cure for Parkinson’s disease?

Global update

Harry Styles’ mum Anne Twist wing walks for Parkinson’s

Carers' Corner

“My voice matters”: the Parkinson’s caregiver raising awareness

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Improving access to Parkinson’s disease resources on Amazon’s Alexa

Scientists at MIT uncover new clues about Parkinson’s disease

People with Parkinson’s disease have a higher risk of dying from Covid-19, study finds

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