New wearable to ‘stop Parkinson’s freezing episodes’ wins innovation award

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Author: Almaz OhenePublished: 11 January 2016

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A wearable device designed to shorten the freezing episodes of Parkinson’s patients has won an innovation award.

The wearable monitoring device, designed by a team of three students from the National University of Singapore, came first in the Intel Singapore Invent 50 competition.

The product wirelessly monitors patient’s movements, and when a freezing episode is detected, can help re-initiate normal activity.

The team – nicknamed ‘PD Loggers’ – was selected from a group of 18 finalists by a panel of 14 judges comprising personalities from the education, government and private sectors.

Judges rated the products on a number of criteria including its the social impact and commercial viability.

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Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

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.”

Parkinson’s could be present from birth, study finds

Parkinson’s may be present from birth in younger people with the condition, new research has found. The study – conducted by Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, US, and published in ‘Nature Medicine’ journal – used induced stem cells from people with young-onset Parkinson’s, to grow dopamine-producing neurons and observe them for early warning signs of the condition. An abnormal pile-up of protein was found during the neurons’ development, including alpha-synuclein; which occurs in Parkinson’s. The scientists conjecture that Parkinson’s symptoms appear when the pile-up continues over 20 or 30 years. The team also found that the drug PEP005 – currently used against skin precancers – could help treat the condition. Michele Tagliati, vice chair and professor at Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Neurology and the study’s co-author, said: “This exciting new research provides hope that one day we may be able to detect and take early action to prevent this disease in at-risk individuals.”…

Testing saliva can help diagnose Parkinson’s, study finds

A saliva test carried out by doctors may be able to both diagnose Parkinson’s and detect the severity of the condition, according to a recent study published in medical journal ‘Neurological Sciences’. Several indicators of the development of Parkinson’s, including problems in the production of energy, can be easily detected in saliva. As part of the study, carried out by a team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, saliva samples were collected from 76 patients living with Parkinson’s, and 37 participants with good general health. They found that the saliva of those with Parkinson’s reflected evidence of alteration in neurotransmitters – chemical messengers that allow nerve cells to communicate. The researchers said the test “may highlight the characteristic changes in metabolite levels during the onset of Parkinson’s”.

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New wearable to ‘stop Parkinson’s freezing episodes’ wins innovation award

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Author: Almaz OhenePublished: 11 January 2016

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New wearable to ‘stop Parkinson’s freezing episodes’ wins innovation award

News

Author: Almaz OhenePublished: 11 January 2016

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

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Moving to the beat: can techno help Parkinson’s patients walk better?

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Testing saliva can help diagnose Parkinson’s, study finds

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