Parkinson’s disease, paralysis agitans, is a neurodegenerative disease of the substantia nigra of the brain. The disease was first discovered and its symptoms documented in 1817-Essay on the Shaking Palsy, by the British physician Dr. James Parkinson; the associated biochemical changes in the brain of patients were identified in the 1960s.
Association found between Parkinson’s disease and pesticide exposure in French farm workers – The cause of Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second most frequent neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease, is unknown, but in most cases it is believed to involve a combination of environmental risk factors and genetic susceptibility.
Family history of melanoma linked to Parkinson’s disease – People with a family history of melanoma may have a greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009.
X-ray eyes bring us closer to early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease – It is estimated that 4 million people world-wide are suffering from Parkinson’s disease, a complex disease that varies greatly among affected individuals.
Penn study finds link between Parkinson’s disease genes and manganese poisoning – A connection between genetic and environmental causes of Parkinson’s disease has been discovered by a research team led by Aaron D. Gitler, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Deep brain stimulation treatment for advanced Parkinson’s disease patients provides benefits; But treatment also associated with increased risk of serious adverse events. – Patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) who received deep brain stimulation treatment had more improvement in movement skills and quality of life after six months than patients who received other medical therapy, but also had a higher risk of a serious adverse events, according to a study in the January 7 issue of JAMA.
For the first time, the association between Parkinson’s disease and exposure to pesticides has been shown in patients with the neurological disorder compared with their unaffected relatives, according to a study in the online open access journal BMC Neurology. – The association between Parkinson’s disease and exposure to pesticides has been shown in patients with the neurological disorder compared with their unaffected relatives, according to a study in the online open access journal BMC Neurology.
Researchers showed that therapeutic cloning or SCNT has been successfully used to treat disease in the same subjects from whom the initial cells were derived. – Research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) has shown that therapeutic cloning, also known as somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), can be used to treat Parkinson’s disease in mice.
The Parkinson?s Disease Society (PD) has announced funding of ?170k to the University of Bristol for research into how to make stem cells produce dopamine and live longer after they have been transplanted into animals. – The Parkinson’s Disease Society (PD) has announced funding of ?170k to the University of Bristol for research into how to make stem cells produce dopamine and live longer after they have been transplanted into animals.
People taking a widely used group of drugs known as calcium channel blockers to treat high blood pressure also appear to be cutting their risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a study published in the February 6, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. – Parkinson’s disease risk is reduced in people taking drugs known as calcium channel blockers to treat high blood pressure, revealed by researchers in US.
