Summary: Nearly half of PD patients who take antidepressants continue to experience depressive symptoms. The severity of their depression is relative to the progression of their disease.
Summary: The loss of both norepinephrine and dopamine neurons, not just one type of brain cell, is linked with the onset of symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease. Originally, only the loss of dopamine neurons was believed to trigger symptoms.
Summary: A study in the Journal of Neuroscience found that mice with a reduced capacity to store dopamine in the brain experienced a degenerative process similar to Parkinson's disease. The mice had too little of the gene VMAT2, causing a chain reaction that damaged their nigrostriatal dopamine system, embedded deep in the brain structure. This damage led to the type movement problem associated with PD.
Summary: A clinical trial at Oregon Health & Science University is examining a novel way to deliver neurturin to dopamine-producing brain cells and protect them against damage. The study drug, called a "gene transfer agent," is a therapeutic gene attached to an inactive virus that targets neurons. The treatment is expected to reduce the severity of symptoms when patients are off their standard medications.
Summary: After an injection of human neural stem cells, primates with severe Parkinson's disease had fewer tremors and were able to walk, move, and eat better. The study suggests that stem cells can be used to replace lost dopamine neurons in the brain.
Summary: This series of articles addresses aspects of Parkinson's disease from symptoms and risk factors to diagnosis and treatment.
