Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

News

Author: Caithlin NgPublished: 13 February 2020

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Reawakening dormant neurons could help reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms, researchers in South Korea have found.

While Parkinson’s is typically believed to be caused by neuronal death, a new study – published in ‘Current Biology’ journal – suggests that dormant neurons could be another cause.

After completing an animal test – which treated the subjects with two compounds that block dopamine-producing neurons from becoming dormant – the researchers found these neurons to be “awakened”, allowing them to resume dopamine production. The researchers hope that this will lead to a disease-modifying treatment, especially for people in the early stages of Parkinson’s.

Hoon Ryu, a senior author of the study and researcher at KIST Brain Science Institute, South Korea, said: “This research refutes the common belief that there is no disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s due to its basis on neuronal cell death.”

To read more on this topic click here.

For more information on the latest Parkinson’s research please visit the EPDA website.

Testing saliva can help diagnose Parkinson’s, study finds

Last Month

Next Month

Go Back

Share this story

Comments

Perspectives

Who said what: 4 powerful Parkinson’s quotes we loved this week

Our favourite quotes of the week from around the web

Sexuality and Parkinson’s: the needs of caregivers

Tips for maintaining couple intimacy in Parkinson’s

Paul Mayhew-Archer: “laughing at my Parkinson’s”

We spoke to comic legend Paul Mayhew-Archer about his condition

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Researchers from the Netherlands have found a link between tremor symptoms and how dopaminergic medication impacts learning abilities in Parkinson’s disease. Many people with Parkinson’s become sensitive to learning through rewards due to a decrease in dopamine in the brain. As part of a new study – published in the scientific journal Brain –researchers assessed 43 tremor-dominant and 20 non-tremor dominant people with Parkinson’s while they were on and off dopaminergic medication. The results showed that in people with Parkinson’s who do not experience tremor, dopaminergic medication improves the ability to learn from rewards – and in those with tremor, the medication has no impact on reward learning. Rick Helmich, co-author of the study and a neurologist at Radboud University Medical Centre, the Netherlands, said: “Whether someone experiences tremor or not might therefore potentially have a significant predictive value regarding the effectiveness of medication in the cognitive domain. However, more…

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

A study by scientists in Sweden has suggested that women who eat a ‘Mediterranean diet’ at middle age could have a lower risk of Parkinson’s later in life. The report, published in the Movement Disorders journal, used dietary information from more than 47,000 women aged 29 to 49, recorded between the early 1990s and 2012. They looked at how closely the women adhered to a Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP), which is high in foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, unsaturated fats and legumes. They then compared the information with data from the Swedish National Patient Register to find out whether participants had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The researchers found that those with a high adherence to the diet had a 46% lower risk of being diagnosed with the condition compared to those with a low adherence, concluding that “higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet at middle age was associated with…

Pesticide that increases Parkinson’s risk by 150% reapproved in the US

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has allowed the continued use of paraquat, a pesticide that increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 150%. The pesticide – which has already been banned in 32 countries – was reapproved by the EPA in October as part of a review of the safety of all herbicides and pesticides in the US, a process which takes place every 15 years. Many studies have shown that as well as increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, exposure to the pesticide is associated with other health issues and risk of death. Exposure to paraquat endangers both the farmers who use the pesticide, as well as the families who can be exposed to it through the air or transfers onto clothing or other materials. In response to the reapproval, the Michael J Fox Foundation is calling on the Parkinson’s community to ask senators and representatives to support a…

All fields required

First name*
Last name*
Email address*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Country of residence*
About me*
- I have Parkinson's disease
- I am a partner / carer / family / friend of someone who has Parkinson's
- I am a healthcare professional with an interest in Parkinson's
- I work for a Parkinson's disease organisation
- Other
CAPTCHA
*
- By proceeding you agree to our
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

News

Author: Caithlin NgPublished: 13 February 2020

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Perspectives

Who said what: 4 powerful Parkinson’s quotes we loved this week

Health & Fitness

Sexuality and Parkinson’s: the needs of caregivers

Interviews

Paul Mayhew-Archer: “laughing at my Parkinson’s”

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

Pesticide that increases Parkinson’s risk by 150% reapproved in the US

{title}

Subscribe

Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

News

Author: Caithlin NgPublished: 13 February 2020

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Related articles

Perspectives

Who said what: 4 powerful Parkinson’s quotes we loved this week

Health & Fitness

Sexuality and Parkinson’s: the needs of caregivers

Interviews

Paul Mayhew-Archer: “laughing at my Parkinson’s”

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

Pesticide that increases Parkinson’s risk by 150% reapproved in the US

{title}

Subscribe

Sign in