Researchers have made a huge leap forward in the fight against Parkinson's disease, solving a decades-long mystery. In a major breakthrough, they have been able to see the human PINK1 protein and how it is switched on for the first time. The discovery is a significant milestone in Parkinson's research that paves the way for developing new life-changing drugs.
For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates. Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) causes people to physically act out their dreams while sleeping. The disorder is also associated with a very high risk of Parkinson's disease and a related condition called Dementia with Lewy Bodies. This is a form of dementia that often causes memory and cognitive loss, as well as vivid visual hallucinations and movement difficulties similar to Parkinson's.
A recently launched Phase 1 clinical trial is examining the safety and feasibility of a groundbreaking treatment approach for Parkinson's disease in which a patient's stem cells are reprogrammed to replace dopamine cells in the brain. The clinical trial, based on more than three decades of research, has treated three-of-six participants who will be tracked for more than a year.
The new research reveals how a protein in brain cells may drive Parkinson's onset -- and offers a possible explanation for why Parkinson's is much more common in men.