Any structured exercise improves quality of life in Parkinson’s Disease patients

Any structured exercise improves quality of life in Parkinson’s Disease patients

A new Cochrane review has found that any type of structured exercise can improve movement-related symptoms and quality of life in people with Parkinson’s Disease. The review analyzed 156 randomized controlled trials with a total of 7,939 participants from around the world, making it the largest and most comprehensive systematic review to study the effects of physical exercise in people with Parkinson’s Disease.

New therapeutic targets for treating Parkinson’s disease

Gene-silencing study finds new targets for Parkinson’s disease — NIH study sheds light on treatment of related disorders – Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have used RNA interference (RNAi) technology to reveal dozens of genes which may represent new therapeutic targets for treating Parkinson’s disease. The findings also may be relevant to several diseases caused by damage to mitochondria, the biological power plants found in cells throughout the body.

Parkinson’s Biomarker Test has prognostic and diagnostic value in Parkinson’s Disease

Comprehensive Parkinson’s Biomarker Test Has Prognostic and Diagnostic Value, Penn Medicine Team Reports — First Biomarker Results from Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative Detect Differences in Subtypes of Parkinson’s Disease – The first biomarker results reported from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), showing that a comprehensive test of protein biomarkers in spinal fluid have prognostic and diagnostic value in early stages of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease risk higher due to exposure to pesticides

Pesticide exposure linked to Parkinson’s disease — Pesticide Exposure Tied to PD Risk – Exposure to pesticides, weed killers and solvents is likely to be associated with a higher risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, revealed by researchers in the Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Statin use reduces Parkinson Disease risk

Statin Use Appears Associated with Modest Reduction in Parkinson Disease Risk – Regular use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be associated with a modest reduction in risk for developing Parkinson disease, particularly among younger patients. Statins are one of the most prescribed classes of drugs in the United States.

Understanding working of parkin gene and Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease: Study of live human neurons reveals the disease’s genetic origins — UB researchers identify how the parkin gene works and how mutations cause Parkinson’s disease – Parkinson’s disease researchers at the University at Buffalo have discovered how mutations in the parkin gene cause the disease, which afflicts at least 500,000 Americans and for which there is no cure. The results are published in the current issue of Nature Communications.

Cognitive decline linked to brain volume decreases in parkinson’s disease patients

Cognitive Decline in Patients with Parkinson Disease Associated With Certain Patterns of Brain Volume Decreases – Patients with Parkinson disease-related dementia appear to have increased brain atrophy in the hippocampal, temporal and parietal lobes and decreased prefrontal cortex volume compared to patients with Parkinson disease without dementia.

Lithium may prevent brain damage in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Lithium profoundly prevents brain damage associated with Parkinson’s disease — Buck Institute research in mice moves into preclinical stage; working toward human trials – Researcher are focusing on lithium as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease — PD — as well as its efficacy in combination with drugs currently used to control the symptoms of the disease. Lithium profoundly prevents the aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a mouse model of the condition.

Parkinson’s patients sing in tune with creative arts therapy

Parkinson’s patients sing in tune with creative arts therapy – Twice a month a jam session takes place on the third floor of Northwestern Memorial’s Prentice Women’s Hospital. A diverse group of men and women, ranging in age and ethnicity, gather in a circle with instruments in hand and sing together. This is no ordinary jam band; all its members have Parkinson’s disease. They are participating in Creative Arts for Parkinson’s, a music and drama therapy program offered through Northwestern’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center.

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