PARKINSON'S DISEASE NEWS

LOW RESOLUTION VERSION : This is the low resolution version of Parkinson's Disease News. It is intended for those people that either : use 800x600 resolution on their monitors, or have eyesight difficulties, or have slow Internet speeds. back to HIGH RESOLUTION VERSION

3rd September 2010 - New research

EARLY LIFE FACTORS AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2010] 25 (11) : 1560-1567 (Gardener H, Gao X, Chen H, Schwarzschild MA, Spiegelman D, Ascherio A.) Complete abstract

Few studies have investigated the relation between early life factors and risk of Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease risk was examined in relation to : season of birth, birth weight, parental age at birth, preterm birth, multiple birth, ever having been breast-fed, and left or right handedness. No significant relation with Parkinson's Disease was observed for : birth weight, paternal age, preterm birth, multiple birth, and having been breastfed. A modest association was suggested for season of birth, as there was a 30% higher risk of developing Parkinson's Disease in those born in Spring rather than Winter. Older maternal age at birth increased the risk of developing Parkinson's Disease by 75% among those with mothers aged 30 years and older versus those with mothers younger than 20 years old. Left handed women were found to be 62% more likely to develop Parkinson's Disease than right handed women. Men were not affected at all according to whether they were right or left handed. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

1st September 2010 - New research

THE GENETIC LIKELIHOOD OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Journal of Human Genetics [2010] 55 (4) : 241-243 (T.H.Hamza, H.Payami) Complete abstract

31st August 2010 - New review

STALEVO FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Stalevo is a drug for Parkinson's Disease that is a combination of L-dopa, carbidopa and entacapone. That is the same as Sinemet plus entacapone. For more information go to Stalevo. The therapeutic constituent is L-dopa. Entacapone is a COMT inhibitor, which is able to slow down the breakdown of L-dopa. Stalevo is intended for the treatment of people with Parkinson's Disease who experience signs and symptoms of end-of-dose "wearing off" [1].

A series of studies showed that Stalevo and corresponding dosages of L-dopa / carbidopa plus entacapone had the same effect [2]. A clinical advantage of Stalevo is that patients can take one pill rather than two (or more) separate tablets [2]. Over 70% of the patients that added entacapone to their Sinemet (or the equivalent), or that switched to Stalevo, which includes all three, felt that they were clinically improved. Over 80% of them experienced a reduction in fluctuations [3]. About 8% of people that changed to Stalevo discontinued treatment, mostly because of adverse events. There was also a tendency for Stalevo to initiate or worsen dyskinesia [4]. Stalevo resulted in an improvement in symptoms [4] [5] [8] [11]. There was also an improvement in "on" time [9] [10]. Patients found Stalevo more simple to dose, more convenient to use, easier to handle, easier to remember and easier to swallow [7]. A majority of patients also preferred Stalevo to L-dopa and carbidopa when in a sustained release form, and improved their symptoms when they changed over to it [6].

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is evaluating clinical trial data that may suggest that patients taking Stalevo may be at an increased risk for developing prostate cancer. Patients taking Stalevo were compared to those taking carbidopa and levodopa. The number of people taking Stalevo with prostate cancer was small, but it was still four times what would otherwise be expected. The FDA consequently suggested that "Patients should not stop taking their medication unless directed to do so by their healthcare professional" [12].  They are also evaluating clinical trial data that suggest patients taking Stalevo may be at an increased risk for cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death) [13]. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

21st August 2010 - New review

LEAD AS A CAUSE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Means of toxicity : Due to the similarity of their structures, lead can inadvertently replace iron in enzyme reactions, but lead does not properly function as a cofactor. This might cause a reduction in L-dopa because iron is an essential cofactor for L-dopa formation. Most lead poisoning symptoms are thought to occur by interfering with the enzyme Delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), which is required for the formation of hemoglobin, as is ferrochelatase, which is also interfered with lead. Hemoglobin transports oxygen, which is required for the formation of L-dopa. So lead may also cause Parkinson's Disease symptoms by interfering with the availability of oxygen to the brain. However, the precise means by which it causes Parkinson's Disease has still not been proven.

Symptoms : Serious and chronic exposure to lead can more than double the likelihood of developing Parkinson's Disease, making it 2.27 times more likely. Milder exposure to lead did not increase the likelihood of Parkinson's Disease [Complete abstract]. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

17th August 2010 - New book

PARKINSON'S DISEASE IN PRACTICE

Carl E.Clarke

Publisher's description : Parkinson's Disease in Practice provides practical, up-to-date summaries on how to manage Parkinson's disease in everyday practice. The title reflects the current developments surrounding Parkinson's disease and the fields of pharmacology and surgery making this an indispensable guide full of tips and useful advice. This title reviews the entire spectrum of Parkinson's disease, and includes topics as its epidemiology and aetiology, pathophysiology, and potential investigations. This book will be of great value to general practitioners, hospital doctors, Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialists and paramedical therapists working in this area, as well as to undergraduate and postgraduate students of medicine, pharmacology and pharmacy Click here for more details. In order to refer to this article on its own click here. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

14th August 2010 - New review

DUODOPA FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Duodopa is a combination of L-dopa and carbidopa in the form of a gel. It is administered throughout the day using a portable pump directly into the small intestine through a surgically placed tube. For the Duodopa fact sheet.

The method ensures a flow of L-dopa that can be adjusted according to the patient's individual needs [1]. It enables more consistent plasma concentrations of L-dopa [3]. Significant improvements were found with its use [2] [5] [6]. The side effects are similar to those observed with oral administration of L-dopa and carbidopa [3] [4]. Dislocation of the intestinal tube to the stomach was the most common technical problem [2] [3] [4], occurring in nearly 70% of the patients during the first year [4]. Whether or not L-dopa consumption was reduced or increased with infusion as compared to oral therapy differed according to the study [2] [4] [6]. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

12th August 2010 - History

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY TREATMENTS OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654) was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer. He published books, The English Physitian (1652) and the Complete Herbal (1653). The Complete Herbal contains both pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge. Among the recommendations in Complete Herbal, he suggests sage for "sinews, troubled with palsy and cramp". For centuries prior to this, Sage had also been recommended for tremor in the hands. Amongst other plant remedies Culpepper suggested for palsy and trembling were bilberries, briony (called "English mandrake"), and mistletoe. In the 1696 edition of his Pharmacopoeia Londinensis, a variety of substances were claimed to be useful in the treatment of "palsies", the "dead palsy", and "tremblings". These included the "oil of winged ants" and preparations including earthworms ! For more concerning the history of Parkinson's go to the History of Parkinson's Disease.

9th August 2010 - New review

MUCUNA PRURIENS - THE OLDEST TREATMENT FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

An ancient civilisation in India practiced their medical doctrine called Ayurveda. They described the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, which they called Kampavata as far back as 5000 B.C.. To treat Kampavata, they used Mucuna Pruriens, which is certainly the oldest known method of treating the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.

Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume whose seeds are a natural source of high quantities of L-dopa. Immature seeds contain maximum L-dopa content [1]. Mucuna Pruriens is a milder source of L-dopa than the quantities of L-dopa in pharmaceutical forms. Its mildness lessens the problem of excessive dosage that often occurs with the use of L-dopa in pharmaceutical form. Mucuna Pruriens is also more adjustable in its dosages. It can be used for Parkinson's Disease as a form of L-dopa [2]. In optimal dosages, Mucuna Pruriens acts more quickly than L-dopa, and its effects last longer. There are no major differences between them regarding possible side effects [3]. Mucuna Pruriens also possesses anti-oxidant qualities, which help to protect against cell damage, and also metal chelating activity, which helps to protect against excessive quantities of metals [4]. There is no evidence that it contains the equivalent of carbidopa, which is a substance in Sinemet that reduces L-dopa breakdown before it is reaches the brain. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

3rd August 2010 - New research

THE EFFECT OF BLOWS TO THE HEAD ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2010] Jul 28 [Epub ahead of print] (Lolekha P, Phanthumchinda K, Bhidayasiri R.) Complete abstract

Blows to the head are sometimes claimed to have been a cause of Parkinson's Disease. Boxing, with its frequent blows to the head is often believed to be a cause of Parkinsonism because of chronic repetitive head injury, with Muhammad Ali frequently, but very possibly wrongly, cited as an example. Even more extreme and frequent blows to the head occur in Kick Boxing, in which participants receive not only punches, but also kicks to the head. Kick Boxing is at its most extreme in Thailand, where it originated, as the sport of Muay Thai. As the blows are more powerful and the contests more frequent, Muay Thai tests the impact of blows to the head even more than boxing.

In order to assess the effect of blows to the head, this study determined the prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in retired Muay Thai boxers. Out of over 700 that responded, only 5 of them had Parkinson's Disease, which is not even 1% of boxers. So boxing, even in the extreme form found in Thailand, did not make Parkinson's Disease likely, nullifying the claim that boxing and blows to the head commonly cause Parkinson's Disease. Those Muay Thai boxers that had a large number of professional contests were found to be a bit more prone to developing Parkinson's Disease. So frequent blows to the head appear to cause an inclination to Parkinson's Disease rather than actually cause it. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

31st July 2010 - New research

MIRAPEX ER CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS

Movement Disorders [2010] Jul 28 [Epub ahead of print] (Hauser RA, Schapira AH, Rascol O, Barone P, Mizuno Y, Salin L, Haaksma M, Juhel N, Poewe W.) Complete abstract

Movement Disorders [2010] Jul 28 [Epub ahead of print] (Rascol O, Barone P, Hauser RA, Mizuno Y, Poewe W, Schapira AH, Salin L, Sohr M, Debieuvre C) Complete abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pramipexole extended release (ER) administered once daily in early Parkinson's Disease. Pramipexole extended release (ER) is marketed as Mirapex ER. Pramipexole immediate release (IR) is administered three times daily. Pramipexole ER was proven to be effective. The level of efficacy was almost identical to that of immediate release Pramipexole, demonstrating that there was no loss of activity when changing over from the immediate release version of Pramipexole. Adverse events more common with Pramipexole ER than placebo included somnolence, nausea, constipation, and fatigue.

In a separate study, the feasibility was assessed, in early Parkinson's Disease, of an overnight switch from immediate-release (IR) pramipexole to a once-daily extended-release (ER) pramipexole. Over 80% of people successfully changed over to the extended release version of pramipexole after 4 weeks, and around 85% successfully changed over to the extended release version of pramipexole after 9 weeks. So changing over to the extended release version is not quick and always successful. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

29th July 2010 - New research

NEBICAPONE - A NEW COMT INHIBITOR FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics [2010] Jul 23 [Epub ahead of print] (Ferreira JJ, Rascol O, Poewe W, Sampaio C, Rocha JF, Nunes T, Almeida L, Soares-da-Silva P) Complete abstract

Nebicapone, is a new COMT inhibitor undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of motor fluctuations in Parkinson's Disease. COMT inhibitors help to prolong the effect of L-dopa. The two COMT inhibitors that have already being used to treat Parkinson's Disease are Tolcapone (Tasmar), and Entacapone (Comtan), which is also marketed as Stalevo in a combination with L-dopa and carbidopa.

A clinical trial compared the use of Nebicapone (50 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg) with Entacapone (200 mg) or placebo administered with L-dopa/carbidopa (Sinemet) or levodopa/benserazide (Madopar). The 150mg dosage of Nebicapone were found to be more effective than the existing COMT inhibitors, by decreasing the off time by 81 minutes in comparison to Entacapone, and by 106 minutes in comparison to the placebo. The 50mg and 100mg dosages of Nebicapone failed to have a significant effect in reducing off time. Treatment-emergent adverse events were reported by 32% to 49% of patients in any treatment group, with no observed dose relationship in the Nebicapone groups. Liver transaminases were elevated in 8% of the 150mg Nebicapone group. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

28th July 2010 - New book

THE BOOK OF EXERCISE AND YOGA FOR THOSE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Lori A.Newell

Publisher's description : This book covers a wide range of movement therapies such as range of motion exercises, low to no-impact aerobics, strength training, yoga, and T'ai Chi. It is unique in that it covers a wide range of techniques, which are specifically geared to, and have been proven helpful for, those with Parkinson's disease. The exercises are all explained in detail utilizing safe body mechanics and are illustrated in standing, standing holding onto a chair, and seated variations to accommodate a wide variety of abilities. This complete wellness program goes beyond the traditional exercise book offering information on home safety, fall prevention, activities of daily living, and body mechanics.  Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

26th July 2010 - New review

THE EFFECTS OF COENZYME Q10 IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

The mitochondria is the part of the cells that produces energy. The first step in producing energy in the mitochondria is Complex I (NADH : ubiquinone oxidoreductase). In people with Parkinson's Disease, Complex I is reduced in activity in the substantia nigra, which is the part of the brain primarily affected in Parkinson's Disease. Complex I needs Coenzyme Q10 in order to function properly [1]. However, energy production has no direct effect on increasing dopamine formation  It has been claimed that Coenzyme Q10 is a potent antioxidant that can partially recover the function of dopaminergic neurons (the cells involved in Parkinson's Disease).

Coenzyme Q10 was found to be completely ineffective in Parkinson's Disease in daily doses of 200mg [2], 300mg [3], 400mg [4], 600mg [4], and 800mg [4]. Only one Coenzyme Q10 study has ever shown any improvement in Parkinson's Disease, using 360mg, but the effects were mild and were only assessed for four weeks [5]. Daily doses of 300mg, 600mg and 1200 mg of Coenzyme Q10 failed to improve the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, but reduced the rate of deterioration [6]. Coenzyme Q10 was safe to use in doses of 1200mg [6] [7], 1800mg [7], 2400 [7], and 3000 mg [7]. Plasma levels of Coenzyme Q10 did not increase in doses above 2400mg [7]. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

21st July 2010 - New review

cabergoline - a review of the dopamine agonist

Cabergoline is also known by the brand names Dostinex and Cabaser. Cabergoline is a dopamine agonist that primarily stimulates the D2 receptor activity and has a very long half-life [1]. Besides being used for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease, cabergoline is also used for the treatment of hyperprolactinemia, and exerts anti-depressant effects [2]. For more information got to Dostinex and Cabaser.

When cabergoline was compared to the use of L-dopa : motor complications, such as dyskinesia occurred less frequently [3], symptoms overall were worse [4], some symptom scores apart from motor disability were better [3], off time was reduced [5] [6], there were greater side effects [3] [4] [7], including nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, gastritis, dizziness, postural hypotension, and peripheral oedema [8]. When cabergoline was added to the use of L-dopa : symptoms improved [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] but not by much [13], there was a small reduction in off time [3] [12] [13] [15] [16], L-dopa dose could be reduced [3] [5], and side effects increased [10] [11] [13]. Cabergoline was found to be slightly better or similar than the use of bromocriptine [15] [17].

Cabergoline is associated with the risk of valvular heart disease [18], valvular regurgitation [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24], and worsens contrast sensitivity [25]. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

16th July 2010 - New research

THE most troubling SYMPTOMS IN parkinson's diseasE

Movement Disorders [2010] May 14 [Epub ahead of print] (Politis M, Wu K, Molloy S, G Bain P, Chaudhuri KR, Piccini P.) Complete abstract

People with Parkinson's Disease typically experience a range of symptoms over time, each of which will affect a particular individual to varying degrees. However, patients' perceptions of troublesome symptoms often differ from the clinician's view, and these discrepancies can hamper effective management of Parkinson's Disease. In this study, people with Parkinson's Disease were asked to rank their three most troublesome symptoms. Patients were divided into early Parkinson's Disease (less than 6 years) and late Parkinson's Disease (longer than 6 years). In early Parkinson's Disease, the five most prevalent complaints ranked in descending order were : slowness, tremor, stiffness, pain, and then loss of smell or taste. In advanced Parkinson's Disease the five most prevalent complaints ranked in descending order were :  fluctuating response to medication (most commonly wearing  off followed by dyskinesia), mood changes, drooling, sleep problems (most commonly middle and late night insomnia followed by daytime sleepiness), and then tremor. The findings show that as Parkinson's Disease progresses the most troublesome issues change considerably. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

13th July 2010 - New research

vitamin d deficiency linked to parkinson's disease

It has been widely reported that low vitamin D increases the likelihood of Parkinson's Disease, such as in the following News report. However, of the two studies referred to, one of them does not concern Parkinson's Disease at all. In the other study, those people with Parkinson's Disease who had the lowest amounts of vitamin D were three times more likely to develop Parkinson's than those with the highest amounts of vitamin D. In a previous study, 55% of people with Parkinson's Disease had insufficient vitamin D, in comparison to 36% of  healthy controls. For the details go to the Complete abstract. Statistically, these are not very significant results. Despite this, the researchers claim that this data supports a possible role of vitamin D insufficiency in causing Parkinson's Disease. However, Vitamin D has no role at all in the formation of dopamine, the substance whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease. For more information go to the Biochemistry of Parkinson's Disease. In severe cases of Vitamin D deficiency, there is no known relationship with Parkinson's Disease as there certainly would be if Vitamin D deficiency could cause it. Sunlight is a primary source of Vitamin D. So the link between Vitamin D and Parkinson's Disease may be due merely to those people with Parkinson's Disease who have mobility problems being exposed to less sunlight, and thereby having lower vitamin D levels. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

11th July 2010 - New research

ADDING DRUGS TO L-DOPA IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews [2010] 7 : CD007166 (Stowe R, Ives N, Clarke CE, Deane K; van Hilten, Wheatley K, Gray R, Handley K, Furmston A.) Complete abstract

At some point, medical practitioners usually add an additional drug to L-dopa when treating Parkinson's Disease from one of three other types of Parkinson's Disease drugs : dopamine agonists, COMT inhibitors (tolcapone, entacapone), or MAO inhibitors (selegiline, rasagiline). However, it remained unclear as to the whether one class of drug is more effective than the other.  The three types of drug were compared, using all of the relevant clinical trials.

Adding another drug to L-dopa reduced off-time by only an hour, reduced the L-dopa dosage by about 55mg per day, and slightly improved symptom scores. A lot of side effects increased : dyskinesia, constipation, dizziness, dry mouth, hallucinations, hypotension, insomnia, nausea, somnolence and vomiting. Comparisons of the three drug types suggested that dopamine agonists were more effective in reducing off-time, in reducing L-dopa dosage, and improving symptom scores.  The overall incidence of side effects was least with MAO inhibitors, but only marginally better than dopamine agonists. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

9th July 2010 - New research

GENE THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Molecular Therapy [2010] Jul 6 [Epub ahead of print] (Muramatsu SI, Fujimoto KI, Kato S, Mizukami H, Asari S, Ikeguchi K, Kawakami T, Urabe M, Kume A, Sato T, Watanabe E, Ozawa K, Nakano I.) Complete abstract

The primary fault in Parkinson's Disease is the inability to produce sufficient dopamine via dopamine producing enzymes in the brain. Gene transfer of dopamine producing enzymes into the brain has led to recovery in animal models of Parkinson's Disease. So researchers evaluated the safety, tolerability, and potential efficacy of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene delivery of the enzyme that produces dopamine into the brain of people with Parkinson's Disease. Six Parkinson's Disease patients were evaluated at the start and after six months, using a variety of measures. The procedure was well tolerated. Six months after surgery, motor functions in the off-medication state improved by an average of 46% based on the UPDRS symptom questionnaire. Assessment using scanning saw a 56% improvement, which persisted up to 96 weeks. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

5th July 2010 - New book

I WILL GO ON : LIVING WITH A MOVEMENT DISORDER

Dr Daniel Brooks

Publisher's description : Daniel Brooks was a 50-year-old husband, father and district-level administrator in a public school system, when he first noticed pronounced tremors, speech difficulties and walking problems developing. In this book, Daniel chronicles his life with a Parkinson’s Plus syndrome and explains how he dealt with the neurological decline that resulted. Read a user-friendly, patient's explanation of the defining symptoms of these atypical Parkinsonism disorders and find out how this neuro-degenerative disease progressed in Dan’s case. He writes a compelling and inspirational story of how he maintained his faith in God, while courageously facing life with a movement disorder. Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books. For Daniel's blog, go to We Will Go On.

3rd July 2010 - New research

ENTACAPONE CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS

Annals of Neurology [2010] 68 (1) : 18-27 (Stocchi F, Rascol O, Kieburtz K, Poewe W, Jankovic J, Tolosa E, Barone P, Lang AE, Olanow CW.)  Complete abstract

Entacapone is a COMT inhibitor, which is able to slow down the breakdown of L-dopa. It is marketed for Parkinson's Disease on its own as Comtan, and also as Stalevo in combination with L-dopa and carbidopa, the same two substances in Sinemet. Adding Entacapone to the equivalent of Sinemet was considered to be potentially advantageous over Sinemet in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. However, in recent clinical trials, the time taken for the effectiveness to wear off between the two methods was not actually significantly different. There was a tendency that favoured those taking Entacapone. However, the Entacapone group received a higher dose equivalent. Adding Entacapone to the equivalent of Sinemet was also found to speed up the onset of dyskinesia. This was especially so in people that were also taking dopamine agonists. These results make the claimed advantages of adding Entacapone to Sinemet questionable. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

30th June 2010 - News release

MICROCHIPS TO CONTROL PARKINSON'S DISEASE

A Tel Aviv University team is aiming to create a microchip that can help doctors wire computer applications and sensors to the brain. Using Deep Brain Stimulation to stimulate certain areas of the brain, the effects of medical disorders such as Parkinson's Disease can be reduced. However, because controlling that stimulation currently lacks precision, some of its therapeutic benefits are lost over time. The team's method is to record activity using electrodes implanted in diseased areas of the brain. Based on an analysis of this activity, they develop algorithms to simulate healthy neuronal activity which are programmed into a microchip and fed back into the brain. For now, the chip, called the Rehabilitation Nano Chip (ReNaChip), is hooked up to tiny electrodes which are implanted in the brain. But as chips become smaller, the ReNaChip could be made small enough to be "etched" right onto the electrodes themselves. For more information go to the complete news release. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

24th June 2010 - New research

THE CAUSE OF DEATH IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Parkinsonism Related Disorders [2010] May 28. [Epub ahead of print] (Pennington S, Snell K, Lee M, Walker R.) Complete abstract

The current literature provides little data concerning the causes of death in Parkinson's Disease. Death certificate documentation is inadequate in one third of certificates, making research difficult. Less than two thirds of people with Parkinson's Disease actually had Parkinson's Disease recorded on their death certificates. When thoroughly assessed it was found that the most common cause of death in people with Parkinson's Disease was Pneumonia, which was the cause of death in 45% of people. For more information concerning Pneumonia. However, people with Parkinson's Disease were actually less likely to die of Cancer or Heart Disease than the rest of the population. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

18th June 2010 - New research

TREMOR WRONGLY DIAGNOSED AS PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Journal of Neurological  Neurosurgical Psychiatry [2010] Jun 14 [Epub ahead of print] (N.P.Bajaj, V.Gontu, J.Birchall, J.Patterson, D.G.Grosset, A.J.Lees) Complete abstract

Tremor is often wrongly assumed to be Parkinson's Disease. This is despite tremor occurring in a wide variety of medical disorders besides Parkinson's Disease, and failing to occur in nearly a third of people who do have Parkinson's Disease.  This contributes to a quarter of people diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease being wrongly diagnosed, and consequently treated for a medical disorder that they do not even have. This study examined the clinical accuracy of movement disorder specialists in distinguishing tremor dominant Parkinson's Disease from other medical disorders in which tremor occurred. As many as a quarter of those patients assessed were diagnosed as having Parkinson's Disease when they did not even have it.  As many as a fifth of the patients that did have Parkinson's Disease were wrongly claimed not to have it. This study demonstrated the inadequacy of assessing Parkinson's Disease solely according to symptoms instead of using biochemical means. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

15th June 2010 - New book

PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND MOVEMENT DISORDERS

Charles H.Adler, J.Eric Ahlskog (Editors)

Publisher's description : Highly experienced clinician-researchers distill the new information now available about movement disorders to create a practice-oriented tutorial for all physicians treating movement disorders. Their book helps physicians distinguish each disorder, providing a basic understanding of both the test and treatment options needed in active practices, as well as the effective use of the therapeutic recommendations. The first half of the book is devoted to Parkinson's disease and conditions masquerading as parkinsonism, while the remainder details the recognition and treatment of tremor, dystonia, chorea, myoclonus, tics, gait disorders, the ataxias, conditions resulting in spasms, and restless legs syndrome. It provides sufficient background so that even relatively inexperienced clinicians can readily master the diagnosis and treatment of neurologic conditions.  Click here for more details, and for the official web site. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

10th June 2010 - New resource

A CLOSER LOOK AT STEM CELL TREATMENTS

The International Society for Stem Cell Research has published an online report that aims to educate those who might be tempted, by providing criteria for people to evaluate claims made by clinics around the world that offer stem cell treatments. For the full details go to A closer look at stem cell treatments. The International Society for Stem Cell Research Society is assessing stem cell clinics, and asking them to provide evidence in support of their claims of efficacy. Stem cell therapy clinics can now be found in China, Central America, Russia, Europe and the United States. According to the head of Canada's Stem Cell Network "It's irresponsible and despicable" that many overseas clinics are purporting to offer stem cell treatments for people with illnesses without any scientific evidence". "Around the world, really the only proven treatments relating to stem cells are for blood - using blood stem cells to treat various blood disorders, predominantly various types of cancer - and some wound healing with some skin treatments, and there's been some work done with the cornea," said Drew Lyall of the Stem Cell Network. "If you go to the websites of many of these companies you'll see that they're claiming to cure Parkinson's Disease and there's just no scientific evidence for that." For more information go to the complete news report.

It is often claimed that there is a massive loss of the cells involved in Parkinson's Disease, and that stem cell therapy is necessary in order to replace the lost cells. However, not a single study has ever actually shown that there is massive cell loss in Parkinson's Disease. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

5th June 2010 - New research

DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION - A COMPARISON OF THE TWO TYPES

New England Journal of Medicine [2010] 362 (22) : 2077-2091 (Follett KA, Weaver FM, Stern M, Hur K, Harris CL, Luo P, Marks WJ Jr, Rothlind J, Sagher O, Moy C, Pahwa R, Burchiel K, Hogarth P, Lai EC, Duda JE, Holloway K, Samii A, Horn S, Bronstein JM, Stoner G, Starr PA, Simpson R, Baltuch G, De Salles A, Huang GD, Reda DJ) PMID: 20519680  Complete abstract

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is the main surgical procedure for people with advanced Parkinson's Disease. DBS involves the use of electrodes that are implanted into the brain and connected to a small electrical device called a pulse generator that can be externally programmed. For more information go to Deep brain stimulation. The globus pallidus interna and the subthalamic nucleus are accepted targets for this procedure. Researchers compared the outcomes for patients who had undergone these two types of DBS : bilateral stimulation of the globus pallidus interna (pallidal stimulation), and subthalamic nucleus (subthalamic stimulation). The average outcome did not differ between the two methods. There was also no significant difference in self-reported function. However, patients undergoing subthalamic stimulation : required a lower dose of dopaminergic drugs than did those undergoing pallidal stimulation, had slightly more serious adverse events than those undergoing pallidal stimulation, and their depression worsened in contrast to an improvement in people undergoing pallidal stimulation. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

28th May 2010 - New research

THE EFFECT OF ANTIOXIDANTS ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

European Journal of Neurology [2010] May 18 [Epub ahead of print]  Complete abstract

Higher intakes of Vitamin E and Vitamin A (beta-carotene) may be associated with a decreased risk of Parkinson's Disease. Higher consumption of Vitamin E reduced the risk of Parkinson's Disease to 46% of what it would otherwise be. Vitamin A (beta-carotene)  reduced the risk of Parkinson's Disease to 56% of what would be expected. However, when assessed according to gender, these inverse associations were significant only in women. There does not appear to be any explanation for this gender difference. Antioxidant vitamins, such as Vitamin E and Vitamin A are expected to protect cells from oxidative damage. Vitamin E and Vitamin C (rather than Vitamin A) can assist the ridding of the superoxide anion. The superoxide anion is a damaging element that tends to be formed in Parkinson's Disease. However, no relationships were shown to exist between the intake of Vitamin C, or alpha-carotene, cryptoxanthin, green and yellow vegetables, other vegetables, or fruit and the risk of Parkinson's Disease.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

19th May 2010 - New research

PROLONGED RELEASE ROPINIROLE CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS

Movement Disorders [2010] 25 (7) : 927-931 (Hersh BP, Earl NL, Hauser RA, Stacy M.) Complete abstract

Movement Disorders [2010] 25 (7) : 858-866 (Watts RL, Lyons KE, Pahwa R, Sethi K, Stern M, Hauser RA, Olanow W, Gray AM, Adams B, Earl NL; 228 Study Investigators) Complete abstract

Prolonged Release Ropinirole was found to have a positive effect on Parkinson's Disease symptoms two weeks after its use begins. Prolonged Release Ropinirole is a once a day dopamine agonist that is marketed as Requip XL. For more information go to Ropinirole. However, the  improvements it caused were minimal. PR Ropinirole improved "off time" but only by 42 minutes per day.  It increased "on time" without dyskinesia, but only by 24 minutes per day. Improvements were seen in Parkinson's Disease scores, but only slightly. Even these small improvements are achieved by also causing side effects.

In another study, Prolonged Release Ropinirole was found to delay the onset of dyskinesia when added to L-dopa when compared to increasing the L-dopa dosage. Otherwise there was no difference in Parkinson's Disease symptom scores. Adverse events were comparable in the two groups with nausea, dizziness, insomnia, back pain, arthralgia, somnolence, fatigue, and pain most commonly reported.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

 

18th May 2010 - New book

THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME : BACKPACKING WITH PARKINSON'S

Pete Ferrari

Publisher's description : This is an inspirational story (rather than a how-to book) about several wilderness trips in Algonquin Park in Canada and an 8-day Laurel Highlands backpacking trip. Pete Ferrari interweaves his Parkinson's Disease experience and the challenges he faced in coping with strenuous conditions. The book would be especially inspiring for newly diagnosed patients, as it is a testimony to challenging oneself to overcome obstacles and lead an active life. Diagnosed at a young age, he faced the mental battle with the disease, which he describes perfectly, and explains and demonstrates how he identified the enemy and approaches the battle.   Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

13th May 2010 - New book

PARKINSON'S DISEASE : A HEALTH POLICY PERSPECTIVE

Wayne Martin, Oksana Suchowersky, Katharina Kovacs Burns, Egon Jonsson

Publisher's description : Part of the successful Institute of Health Economics (IHE) book series, this handbook and ready reference adopts a unique approach in combining policy recommendations with specific treatment options for Parkinson patients. The first part of the book deals with the clinical medical, social and economical aspects of Parkinson Disease. These ten chapters include the latest diagnosis and treatment options for patients, the economical consequences, social and ethical implications and end-of life issues. The second part of the book essentially covers a large-scale case study on Parkinson in Alberta, Canada, since most of the issues discussed are relevant in all developed countries. With its strong focus on correct diagnosis and early intervention, this is an invaluable guide for clinicians and policymakers dealing with this devastating disease.  Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

9th May 2010 - New research

TOLCAPONE CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS

CNS Spectrums [2010] 15 (1) : 27-32 (K.Sethi, S.Factor, R.Watts) Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                 Changes in the quality of life (QOL) were assessed in people with Parkinson's Disease after thirty days of the use of Tolcapone being added to their existing treatments. Tolcapone, whose brand name is Tasmar, is a COMT inhibitor, which is drug that helps to maintain the levels of dopamine, the substance whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease. For more information go to Tolcapone. After thirty days of Tolcapone use the mean PDQ-8 total score (which assesses basic Parkinson's Disease symptoms) improved from 42.1 to 34.8. Nearly 70% of the patients also improved on the CGI-I (the investigator's impression of improvement). Physicians planned to continue the use of Tolcapone beyond the thirty days in 72% of cases, most commonly because of the improvements in motor function and overall general improvement. However, the side effects it caused were not detailed. Tolcapone is the same kind of drug as Entacapone, which is more  commonly used.  Entacapone is sold on its own as Comtan, or in combination with Sinemet as Stalevo. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

5th May 2010 - New research

THE EFFICACY OF DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION

Lancet Neurology [2010] Apr 28. [Epub ahead of print] (A.Williams, S.Gill, T.Varma, C.Jenkinson, N.Quinn, R.Mitchell, R.Scott, N.Ives, C.Rick, J.Daniels, S.Patel, K.Wheatley)   Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                
Researchers assessed whether Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and best medical therapy improved the quality of life more than the best medical therapy alone in people with advanced Parkinson's Disease. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) involves the use of electrodes that are implanted into the brain and connected to a small electrical device called a pulse generator that can be externally programmed. For more information go to Deep brain stimulation. Best medical therapy usually means only the use of Parkinson's Disease drugs instead. After a year, there was improvement in those people that had also undergone Deep Brain Stimulation, but there was no improvement in people taking only Parkinson's Disease drugs. Those people who had also undergone DBS fared better regarding mobility, in the activities of daily living, and feelings of bodily discomfort. DBS made no difference in any other respect.  Nearly 20% of of those patients who underwent DBS had serious surgery-related adverse events.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

27th April 2010 - News release

THE FURTHER WITHDRAWAL OF NEUPRO
                                                                                                                                                                                
In April 2008, Neupro was withdrawn from use in the U.S.A. because specific batches of Neupro had deviated from their specification. Neupro (Rotigotine) is a dopamine agonist used with Parkinson's Disease that, via a skin patch, provides a slow and constant supply of Rotigotine over the course of 24 hours. For more information go to Neupro. The FDA have informed the manufacturers UCB that Neupro must be reformulated before it can be made available again in the U.S.A.. This means that Neupro could be withdrawn from use for another two years. In June 2009, UCB proposed new refrigerated storage conditions to alleviate crystallization on the patches. The FDA "agrees that the proposed new refrigeration conditions significantly inhibit the degree of crystallization on the patches, but has recommended that the definitive resolution of the crystallization is to reformulate the drug product". This FDA decision does not impact product supply and availability in Europe and the rest of the world. For more information go to the complete News release.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

22nd April 2010 - New research

DYES ARE STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE

International journal of Neuroscience [2010] 120 (5) : 361-367 (Hristina VD, Sipetic SB, Maksimovic JM, Marinkovic JM, Dzoljic ED, Ratkov IS, Kostic VS.)  Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                
Researchers assessed the association between Parkinson's Disease and a variety of environmental factors. Of these, Parkinson's Disease was, by far, the most highly associated with the use of dyes. Use of dyes increased the likelihood of Parkinson's Disease by 25 times, which is far more than other environmental factors commonly believed to increase the likelihood of Parkinson's Disease. The researchers make no suggestion as to which chemicals in dyes caused the strong association between the use of dyes and Parkinson's Disease. However, some dyes include chemicals such as toluene, that are known causes of Parkinson's Disease. The other factors they found associated with Parkinson's Disease in order of likelihood are : naphtha, which is a product of petroleum (9 times more likely), and the following, all probably because of pesticides : gardening (5 times more likely), insecticides (3 times more likely), well water drinking (2 times more likely), spring water drinking (2 times more likely). In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

18th April 2010 - New research

GLYCOPYRROLATE FOR SIALORRHEA IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Neurology [2010] 74 (15) : 1203-1207 (Arbouw ME, Movig KL, Koopmann M, Poels PJ, Guchelaar HJ, Egberts TC, Neef C, van Vugt JP)  Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                
Sialorrhea (excessive saliva) affects 3 out of every 4  people with Parkinson's Disease. Sialorrhea is often treated with anticholinergics, but side effects limit their usefulness. Glycopyrrolate (glycopyrronium bromide) is an anticholinergic drug that is not able to cross the blood-brain barrier in considerable amounts. Therefore, glycopyrrolate exhibits minimal central nervous system side effects, which may be an advantage in people with Parkinson's Disease. In a clinical trial the severity of the sialorrhea was scored on a daily basis by the patients or a caregiver with a sialorrhea scoring scale ranging from 1 (no sialorrhea) to 9 (profuse sialorrhea). Around 39% of people taking glycopyrrolate had a clinically relevant improvement of at least 30%, without side effects. The authors concluded that 1 mg 3 times daily is an effective and safe therapy for sialorrhea in Parkinson disease. However, these results also mean that around 60% of people with Parkinson's Disease do not significantly benefit from its use. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

14th April 2010 - New research

THE EFFECT OF NEUPRO ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE
                                                                                                                                                                                
Evidence of Neupro (rotigotine transdermal system) improving symptoms of Parkinson's Disease was presented at the 62nd American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Canada. Neupro (Rotigotine) is a dopamine agonist used with Parkinson's Disease that, via a skin patch, provides a slow and constant supply of Rotigotine over the course of 24 hours. For more information go to Neupro. Rotigotine showed significantly greater improvement than the use of a placebo in early morning muscular symptoms, sleep quality, fatigue, mood, cognition, attention and memory. The effect persisted over a long period of time. The most frequently reported adverse events were nausea (21%), application site reactions (15%), and dizziness (10%). However, the use of Neupro can cause a wide variety of, sometimes serious, side effects. The use of any dopamine agonist, including Neupro, will also eventually cause a decrease in the sensitivity of the same dopamine receptors that it is intended to stimulate.

In April 2008, Neupro was withdrawn from use in the U.S.A. because specific batches of Neupro had deviated from their specification. UCB is working with the U.S. FDA so that Neupro can be available to patients with early-stage Parkinson's Disease as soon as possible. Neupro is not approved for use in Canada either, but is available in Europe. For more information go to the News release.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

12th April 2010 - New book

DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION PROGRAMMING : PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE

Erwin B.Montgomery

Publisher's description : Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a remarkable therapy for an expanding range of neurological disorders, including Parkinson's Disease. Post-operative programming of the DBS systems seems unfamiliar, even mysterious, and is viewed as difficult and time consuming. Even these principles can be relatively easy to grasp. The book helps the reader to obtain an intuitive understanding of the basic principles of electronics, electrophysiology and the relevant regional anatomy through the use of readily understood metaphors and numerous illustrations. The book provides an introduction to where some of the new theories may lead particularly with the growing awareness of the importance of oscillations in the brain's activities. The brain has more in common with electrical devices, such as computers, than it does to a stew of chemicals.  Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

2nd April 2010 - News release

STALEVO IS LINKED TO PROSTATE CANCER
                                                                                                                                                                                
It has been claimed that Stalevo, which is used for  the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, may be linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer. Stalevo is a combination of L-dopa, carbidopa, and entacapone. For more information go to Stalevo. Entacapone is also available as a single-product ingredient called Comtan. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is evaluating clinical trial data suggesting that patients taking Stalevo, may be at an increased risk for developing prostate cancer. The number of people taking Stalevo with prostate cancer was small, but it was still four times what would otherwise be expected. The FDA's review of Stalevo is ongoing and so no new conclusions or recommendations about the use of this drug have been made. They consequently suggest that "Patients should not stop taking their medication unless directed to do so by their healthcare professional". For more information go to the News release.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

27th March 2010 - New research

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Neurology [2010] 74 (12) : 995-1002 (Gagne JJ, Power MC.)  Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                
It has been claimed that anti-inflammatory drugs may prevent Parkinson Disease by inhibiting an underlying neuro-inflammatory process. This theory was tested according to the type of anti-inflammatory drug, the duration of use, and the intensity of use. All relevant clinical studies were assessed. Seven studies reported associations between non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Parkinson's Disease. Six of them reported aspirin. Two of them reported acetaminophen. There was a 15% reduction in the incidence of Parkinson's Disease among users of non-aspirin NSAIDS. A similar effect was observed for Ibuprofen use. The reduction in the incidence of Parkinson's Disease was greater (21%) in long term users, and even greater than that (29%) in regular users. However, for people who already had Parkinson's Disease, the use of aspirin or acetaminophen made no difference at all. This is contrary to the claim that there is an inflammatory problem in Parkinson's Disease.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

24th March 2010 - New research

THE RISK OF DEVELOPING DYSKINESIA IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2010] Mar 22. [Epub ahead of print] (Ku S, Glass GA.)  Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                
The risk of developing dyskinesia due to taking L-dopa is known to vary inversely with the age of Parkinson's Disease onset. Basically, the younger somebody is when they develop Parkinson's Disease the more likely they are to subsequently develop dyskinesia.  Dyskinesia is abnormal and involuntary physical movements such as those shown by Michael J.Fox in this interview. After 5 years of L-dopa treatment, the dyskinesia risk for patients with onset age 40-49 was high, at 70%. For those diagnosed between 50-59 years old the risk of developing dyskinesia decreased to 42%. The risk decreased further still for those diagnosed between 60-69 years old to 33%. Least at risk were those diagnosed between 70-79 years old, who had only a 24% risk of developing dyskinesia. After 5 years of L-dopa treatment, dyskinesia risks became uniformly high regardless of age of onset. So lengthy use of L-dopa by those diagnosed at an early age were by far the most likely to develop dyskinesia. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

14th March 2010 - New book

COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND DEMENTIA IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Murat Emre

Publisher's description : This book provides an extensive overview of the cognitive impairment and dementia associated with Parkinson's disease. Experts in the field describe in detail all aspects of cognitive impairment and dementia in Parkinson's disease, including epidemiology, spectrum of clinical features, pathology, neurochemistry and genetics, findings in auxiliary investigations, relation to other neurodegenerative disorders, diagnostic process and management, and rounded up by discussion of future research directions and expectations. The text is complemented and enriched with tables, figures and fully referenced to encompass all relevant literature.  Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

12th March 2010 - New research

THE RATE OF PROGRESSION OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2010] Mar 8. [Epub ahead of print] (Zhao YJ, Wee HL, Chan YH, Seah SH, Au WL, Lau PN, Pica EC, Li SC, Luo N, Tan LC.)  Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                
This study was carried out to evaluate the rate of progression in Parkinson's Disease. What was analysed was the time taken to progress from one stage of the Hoehn and Yahr scale to the next. The Hoen and Yahr characterises patients according to a scale of five stages of severity, from Stage 1, which is mild, to Stage 5, which is incapacitated. For the questionnaire go to the Hoehn and Yahr scale. The average time taken to progress from Stage 1 (mild) to Stage 2 (mild but various symptoms) was 1 year 8 months.  The average time taken to progress from Stage 2 to Stage 3 (typical) was 7 years and 3 months.  From Stage 3 to Stage 4 (severe) took 2 years. From Stage 4 to Stage 5 (incapacitated) took 2 years and 2 months. So the stage with typical symptoms lasts the longest. Those factors associated with faster progression were older age at diagnosis, and longer disease duration. Gender and ethnicity were not associated with the rate of Parkinson's Disease progression. These figures are only averages. Progression is not inevitable. Some people with Parkinson's Disease have either : stayed the same for decades, reduced their symptoms, rid their symptoms, or worsened at a rapid rate. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

10th March 2010 - New research

PARDOPRUNOX - A PARTIAL DOPAMINE AGONIST FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2010] Mar 2. [Epub ahead of print] (Bronzova J, Sampaio C, Hauser RA, Lang AE, Rascol O, Theeuwes A, van de Witte SV, van Scharrenburg G)   Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                
Pardoprunox is a new partial dopamine agonist from Solvay being assessed for its potential future use in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. It unusually combines two effects as if it were two distinct but combined drugs :  partially stimulating dopamine, whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease, and fully stimulating serotonin, which is another chemical naturally produced in the brain. It is thought that Pardoprunox could avoid some of the severe side effects that full dopamine agonists cause by lessening the effect of dopamine when dopamine activity is high. This study examined the efficacy and safety of Pardoprunox (SLV308), in the treatment of patients with early Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease symptoms did reduce when taking Pardoprunox. Activities of daily living in people with Parkinson's Disease also improved. Nausea was reported by 47% of patients. Dizziness, somnolence, headache, asthenia were reported far less commonly. The effects of Pardoprunox are to be assessed further. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

6th March 2010 - New book

THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Michael Sage

Publisher's description : This book explores the role of exercise in the treatment and management of Parkinson’s Disease. Detailed and thorough comparisons are made between various exercise interventions, including sensory attention focused exercise (PD SAFEx). PD SAFEx is a novel exercise strategy designed to target underlying neurophysiological deficits in Parkinson’s disease. Namely, it targets the disrupted sensorimotor integration in Parkinson’s Disease and focuses participants’ attention to proprioceptive feedback while in motion. It was found that PD SAFEx and strength training have the greatest symptomatic benefit for individuals with Parkinson's Disease.  Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

3rd March 2010 - New research

MODAFINIL FOR FATIGUE IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Clinical Neuropharmacology [2009] 32 (6) : 305-310 (Lou JS, Dimitrova DM, Park BS, Johnson SC, Eaton R, Arnold G, Nutt JG.) Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                 Fatigue is a major symptom in Parkinson disease. It is associated with reduced activity and lower quality of life. Modafinil has been considered for use in the treatment of fatigue in Parkinson's Disease due to its ability to release dopamine. For more information go to Modafinil. A study has determined whether Modafinil improves subjective fatigue and physical fatigability in Parkinson's Disease. After a month Modafinil made no difference. After two months Modafinil helped to some extent with physical fatigue. However for fatigue generally it still had no effect. The primary problem in Parkinson's Disease is the inability to produce optimal amounts of dopamine. The reason for the ineffectiveness of Modafinil in Parkinson's Disease may be due to it only releasing dopamine. It doesn't form any additional dopamine in order for more to be released. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

27th February 2010 - New research

THE CHOICE OF DOPAMINE AGONISTS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Drug Safety [2010] 33 (2) : 147-161 (Kulisevsky J, Pagonabarraga J.) Complete abstract
                                                                                                                                                                                 The tolerability and safety of ropinirole (Requip) in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease, was compared to those of other dopamine agonists (bromocriptine, cabergoline, pramipexole, rotigotine, pergolide),  the use of a placebo, and when used alongside L-dopa. Thirty three years worth of clinical trials were assessed. In all the studies included, dopamine agonists, including ropinirole (Requip), exhibited a higher likelihood of adverse events than the use of a placebo. The occurrence of constipation when using ropinirole (Requip) was only 55% of that of bromocriptine (Parlodel), and 25% of that of L-dopa. There was no difference between ropinirole (Requip) and rotigotine (Neupro) regarding constipation and dyskinesia. For nausea, pergolide (Permax) was worse than ropinirole (Requip), but only narrowly. Both were worse than rotigotine (Neupro). All were clearly worse than the use of a placebo. Ropinirole (Requip) was worse than pramipexole (Mirapex) regarding  nausea, dizziness, sleepiness and dyskinesia. Worst for hallucinations was pergolide (Permax) then rotigotine (Neupro), then pramipexole (Mirapex), and finally ropinirole (Requip). Hallucinations were far more likely than when taking a placebo. Confusion and constipation were far worse with pramipexole (Mirapex) compared with placebo. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

20th February 2010 - News release

THE EFFECT OF IBUPROFEN ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

It has been widely claimed that Ibuprofen can lessen the risk of Parkinson's Disease. For the full details go to the News release. The research involved 136,474 people who did not have Parkinson’s Disease at the beginning of the research. The study found that regular users of Ibuprofen were 40% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than people who did not take Ibuprofen. People who took higher amounts of Ibuprofen were less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than people who took smaller amounts of the drug. However, the details have not yet been made available for analysis. Frequently, the results of medical research do not match the claims made for them. Ibuprofen is often taken  for arthritis or pain. For more information go to Ibuprofen. It works by preventing the formation of prostaglandins. However, prostaglandins have nothing at all to do with the biochemistry of Parkinson's Disease. So the full details might show that Ibuprofen has little effect on Parkinson's Disease or that there is only an indirect association. The most comprehensive research concerning the effect of Ibuprofen on Parkinson's Disease assessed studies carried out over 40 years. The effects of Ibuprofen were found to be far less than those of the news release, and statistically could have shown a reduced association with Parkinson's Disease of only 11%. For more details see the Complete abstract. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

16th February 2010 - New book

NATURAL THERAPIES FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Dr Laurie Mischley

Publisher's description : Many patients seek alternative and complementary options. This book fosters an understanding between conventional and complementary providers. Chapters on : Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Aluminum, Antioxidants, Beta-carotene, Calorie Restriction, Carnitine, Chelation, Cholesterol, Choline, Coenzyme Q-10, Constipation, Creatine, Curcumin (Turmeric), Dairy, DHA (fish oil), Fava Beans, Glutathione, H.pylori (Helicobacter pylori), Homocysteine, Iron, Manganese, Marijuana (Cannabis sativa), Mucuna pruriens, Velvet bean, Cowhage, Niacin, Tea, Vitamin B6, Vitamin D, and other topics. Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

8th February 2010 - News release

BONE MARROW STEM CELL THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

For years it was being claimed that stem cell therapy was going to cure Parkinson's Disease. However, stem cell operations being carried out around the world have failed to have such an effect. One of the acclaimed stem cell pioneers eventually caused a worsening of symptoms. In Germany, bone marrow stem cells have been used that have been taken from the same patient. The treatment begins by collecting a small amount of bone marrow from the patient’s hip via thin needle mini-puncture under local anaesthesia. The stem cells are separated from the bone marrow, where they are counted and their vitality is confirmed. The last step consists of inserting a fine spinal needle between the patient’s vertebrae and injecting the stem cells into the cerebrospinal fluid, which flows into the brain. The cost for Parkinson’s treatment starts at around 7,545 Euros (over 10,000 U.S. dollars). The XCell-Center in Germany has released results from their follow-up study of 50 Parkinson’s Disease patients. For the full results go to the News release.

Only just over half of the patients showed any improvement at all. Improvement was determined merely as any improvement rather than major improvements. Only 8% of all patients had significant improvement confirmed by their doctor. A greater number, over 10%, actually got worse. Over 90% of the patients had to continue with the use of Parkinson's Disease drugs. Standard assessment tests for Parkinson's Disease, such as the UPDRS do not appear to have been used. Instead, it seems that patients largely assessed themselves even though surgery for Parkinson's Disease is known to be highly affected by the placebo effect. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

1st February 2010 - New research

THE WORLD'S HIGHEST INCIDENCE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2010] Jan 27 [Epub ahead of print] (J.Linder, H.Stenlund, L.Forsgren) Complete abstract

The incidence of Parkinson's Disease is the rate at which people are being newly diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. The world's highest incidence of Parkinson's Disease has been found to occur in Sweden. The incidence rate is 22.5 per 100,000. In a country the size of the U.S. this equates to 67,000 people being newly diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease every single year. Exceptionally high levels of Parkinson's Disease are usually found to be due to toxicity. However, in Sweden there is no such apparent cause. Sweden has a high life expectancy. Japan has the highest life expectancy. In both countries there has been a recent escalation in the rates of Parkinson's Disease, most probably due to people living longer in those countries. This suggests that there could soon be a major increase in the number of people with Parkinson's Disease due to increased life expectancy in other countries as well.  For every person that has Parkinson's Disease, 10 people alive right now were considered likely to develop it. With increasing life expectancies that number could be  far higher. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

23rd January 2010 - New research

THE AMERICAN PREVALENCE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Neuroepidemiology [2010] 34 (3) : 143-151 .Annals of  Neurology [2009] 66 (6) : 792-798 (Wright Willis A, Evanoff BA, Lian M, Criswell SR, Racette BA.) Complete abstract

The prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in the U.S.A. has been found to differ enormously according to location, age and race. The prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in some counties was found to be nearly 12 times higher than in other counties. Urban areas were more affected than rural areas. Elsewhere, the opposite is usually true. Parkinson's Disease is far from being evenly spread across the U.S.A.. The study revealed a concentration of Parkinson's Disease in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S.A.. Nebraska was previously shown to be the worst affected Complete abstract. In the over 65s there was found to be a prevalence in some areas of 1 in 7, making it in those places a common medical disorder. Whites were affected with Parkinson's Disease about twice as much as Blacks and Asians, though this difference is progressively decreasing, especially between Blacks and Whites. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

19th January 2010 - New research

PYRIDOXINE FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Annals of  Neurology [2009] 66 (6) : 792-798 (Elstner M, Morris CM, Heim K, Lichtner P, Bender A, Mehta D, Schulte C, Sharma M, Hudson G, Goldwurm S, Giovanetti A, Zeviani M, Burn DJ, McKeith IG, Perry RH, Jaros E, Krüger R, Wichmann HE, Schreiber S, Campbell H, Wilson JF, Wright AF, Dunlop M, Pistis G, Toniolo D, Chinnery PF, Gasser T, Klopstock T, Meitinger T, Prokisch H, Turnbull DM.) Complete abstract

An increased risk of Parkinson's Disease have been found for the gene for Pyridoxal kinase. Pyridoxal kinase is an enzyme. Enzymes  are chemicals naturally produced by the body that turn one substance in to another in the body. Pyridoxal kinase  ultimately turns the Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) via pyridoxal in to pyridoxal phosphate. This is why people need to consume vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) in order to produce pyridoxal phosphate. Pyridoxal phosphate (and therefore pyridoxine) is very important for Parkinson's Disease because it is essential for making use of L-dopa. So without pyridoxine and pyridoxal phosphate, L-dopa is virtually useless. L-dopa simply could not form dopamine. It is therefore not surprising that a disturbance in the gene that makes pyridoxal phosphate can make somebody more likely to develop Parkinson's Disease. Pyridoxine was actually one of the first means of treating Parkinson's Disease. In the 1940's pyridoxine was independently being used in the U.S.S.R. and in the U.S.A.. However, large quantities of pyridoxine (30mg or more) can have a detrimental effect, because it breaks down L-dopa in drug form before it is used. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

7th January 2010 - New research

WELL WATER AS A CAUSE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Environmental Health Perspectives [2009] 117 (12) : 1912-1918 (Gatto NM, Cockburn M, Bronstein J, Ritz B, Manthripragada AD) Complete abstract

Investigators have hypothesized that consuming pesticide-contaminated well water plays a role in Parkinson's Disease, and several previous epidemiology studies support this hypothesis. Researchers investigated whether consuming water from private wells located in areas with documented historical pesticide use was associated with an increased risk. They separately examined 6 pesticides (diazinon, chlorpyrifos, propargite, paraquat, dimethoate, and methomyl) from among 26 chemicals selected for their potential to pollute groundwater or for their relevance to Parkinson's Disease, and because at least 10% of their population was exposed to them. People with Parkinson's Disease were more likely to have consumed private well water and to have consumed it on average 4.3 years longer than normal. High levels of three of the pesticides (methomyl, chlorpyrifos, propargite) resulted in a 70%-90% increase in the risk of Parkinson's Disease. The study demonstrated that consuming well water presumably contaminated with pesticides can increase the likelihood of Parkinson's Disease. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

19th December 2009 - New research

THE EFFECT OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE ON DRIVING ABILITY

Neurology [2009] 73 (24) : 2112-2119 (Uc EY, Rizzo M, Johnson AM, Dastrup E, Anderson SW, Dawson JD.) Complete abstract

Overall, drivers with Parkinson's Disease had poorer road safety when driving, when compared to people that did not have Parkinson's Disease. However, there was found to be considerable variability among the drivers with Parkinson's Disease. Some of them performed normally, or even better than normal. Drivers with Parkinson's Disease committed more safety errors compared to controls. Over three quarters of people with Parkinson's Disease committed more errors. However, the number of errors was not much greater (only 1.26 times more).  Lane violations were the most common error category, but that was the same for people that did not have Parkinson's Disease. Older age made errors more likely in Parkinson's Disease.  Familiarity with the local driving environment made differences in some error categories insignificant. Although it is often assumed that Parkinson's Disease makes driving more difficult, overall it does not reduce driving ability by much in most people, and in some not at all. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

18th December 2009 - New book

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Anthony D.Mosley, Deborah S.Romaine, Ali M.D.Samii

Publisher's description : This encyclopedia by a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's disease and a medical writer provides an overview of the illness. More than 600 alphabetical entries with cross-references describe all aspects of the disease. Entries range in length from one paragraph to several pages and include drugs used in treatment, surgical procedures, anatomy and physiology, related conditions, practical considerations such as coping with diagnosis, home safety, biographies, and organizations. Two appendixes list organizations and resources and state Medicaid offices. A bibliography of books and articles and an index complete the work. Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

3rd December 2009 - New research

PARKINSON'S DISEASE WAS DESCRIBED IN 1690

Parkinsonism Related Disorders [2009] (D.Bereczki) Complete abstract

A detailed description of Parkinson's Disease has been discovered that dates from 1690. That is over a century before the first claimed formal description in 1817 by James Parkinson, after whom Parkinson's Disease was subsequently named. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease, most frequently tremor, have been described since ancient times and throughout history. For more information go to The History of Parkinson's Disease. However, the first systematic description of Parkinson's Disease is usually attributed to James Parkinson in 1817. Over 127 years before James Parkinson described it, the Hungarian doctor Pápai Páriz Ferenc (1649-1716) described in his medical text Pax Corporis not only individual signs of Parkinson's Disease, but all four cardinal signs : tremor, bradykinesia, rigor and postural instability. The book was published in Hungarian, which because it is understood by so few people, has resulted in his description of Parkinson's Disease being ignored in the medical literature all this time. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

26th November 2009 - New research

DOPAMINERGIC TRANSPLANTS FAIL IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Annals of Neurology [2009] 66 (5) : 591-596 (Olanow CW, Kordower JH, Lang AE, Obeso JA.) Complete abstract

For years, cell-based therapies that involve the transplantation of dopaminergic cells in to the brain have attracted considerable interest as possible treatments for Parkinson's Disease. However, all of the double-blind, sham-controlled, studies have failed to meet their hoped for efficacy. Transplantation of dopamine cells derived from the fetal mesencephalon is also associated with a potentially disabling form of dyskinesia that persists even after withdrawal of L-dopa. In addition, disability in advanced patients primarily results from features that are not primarily due to insufficient dopamine. These features are not adequately controlled with dopaminergic therapies and are thus unable to respond to dopaminergic transplants. Implanted dopaminergic neurons have also recently been found to contain Lewy bodies, which are signs of cell damage, suggesting that even after transplantation they are dysfunctional and may have been affected by the Parkinson's Disease process. Although stem cell therapies have been tried in Parkinson's Disease based on the claim that there is a massive loss of dopamine producing cells in Parkinson's Disease, not a single study has ever shown this to be true. In order to refer to this article on its own click here

18th November 2009 - New research

THE EFFECT OF MOBILE PHONE USE ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Ugeskrift for laeger [2009] 171 (45) : 3268-3271 (Schüz J, Waldemar G, Olsen JH, Johansen C.) Complete abstract

Researchers assessed the effect of the use of mobile phones on neurological disorders including Parkinson's Disease. It has long been suspected that mobile phones have a detrimental effect on the nervous system. In a huge study, they found that mobile phone use increased the likelihood of migraine and vertigo by 10% to 20%. However,  long term use of mobile phones actually reduced rather than increased the likelihood of Parkinson's Disease and dementia by 30% to 40%. The researchers offer no reason why this might be. Mobile phones emit electromagnetic radiation. The use of electromagnetic radiation has recently been introduced for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. It involves the use of a very low level electromagnetic field in order to lessen the signs and symptoms. For more information go to Magnetic Therapy. If long term mobile phone use causes any lessening of Parkinson's Disease, given the similarity of their effects, mobile phone use is likely to be acting unintentionally by the same means as magnetic therapy. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

13th November 2009 - News release

MICHAEL J.FOX FOUNDATION FUNDS FOUR NEW APPROACHES FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

The Michael J.Fox Foundation has funded four novel approaches for dealing with problems caused by Parkinson's Disease. (1) Anders Björklund is assessing the  hypothesis that the brain’s Serotonin system plays a role in dyskinesia, the excessive movements brought on by long-term dopamine replacement therapy. The team is initiating a pilot study of Eltoprazine, a medicine capable of blocking inappropriate release of dopamine from serotonin terminals. (2) Daniel Weintraub will conduct the first placebo-controlled trial of an agent to treat impulse control disorders associated with the use of dopamine agonists. Naltrexone, which blocks opioid receptors, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of alcohol dependence. It has been shown to be beneficial for pathological gambling. (3) Alvaro Pascual-Leone and his colleagues will test the potential of non-invasive repetitive Transcranial magnetic stimulation in order to improve symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease symptoms. (4) Daniel Tarsy is investigating whether group singing can improve the decreased voice volume experienced by many people who have Parkinson's Disease. For more information go to the News release. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

3rd November 2009 - News release

STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE TREMORS

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is claimed to offer a less invasive way to eliminate tremors caused by Parkinson's Disease than Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and Radiofrequency (RF) treatments, and is as effective, according to a long-term study. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a precise form of radiation therapy used primarily to treat tumors and other abnormalities of the brain. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a non-surgical procedure that delivers a single high-dose of precisely-targeted radiation using highly focused gamma-ray or x-ray beams that converge on the specific area or areas of the brain where the abnormality resides. For more information go to Stereotactic Surgery. In a long term study amongst hard-to-treat tremors caused by Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremors, 84% of patients had significant or complete resolution of tremors. In patients with Parkinson’s disease, 83% had near or complete tremor resolution, while those with essential tremor had 87% tremor resolution. For more information go to the News release. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

2nd November 2009 - New book

THE MUHAMMAD ALI PARKINSON CENTER 100 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT PARKINSON DISEASE

Abraham Lieberman

Publisher's description : Whether you're a newly diagnosed patient, or are a friend or relative of someone suffering from Parkinson Disease, this book offers help. The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center 100 Questions & Answers About Parkinson Disease, Second Edition gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, quality of life, and sources of support. Written by an internationally recognized expert on Parkinson Disease, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of this devastating disease. All royalties of this book are donated to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

24th October 2009 - New research

GAUCHER'S DISEASE AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE

New England Journal of Medicine [2009] 361 (17) : 1651-1661 (Sidransky et al) Complete abstract

Gaucher's Disease has been found to make Parkinson's Disease five times more likely.  Gaucher's Disease is an inherited metabolic disorder in which harmful quantities of a substance called glucocerebroside can accumulate in the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow, and the brain. Glucocerebroside accumulates because glucocerebrosidase (the chemical that breaks it down) is deficient in Gaucher's Disease. It is named after the French doctor Philippe Gaucher, who originally described it. For more information go to Gaucher's Disease. A lot of people are carriers for Gaucher's Disease without realising it. Around 1 in 100 people are a carrier for Gaucher's Disease. In Ashkenazi Jews as many as 1 in 15 are a carrier. Those people that had Gaucher's Disease and Parkinson's Disease developed Parkinson's Disease at an earlier age, were more likely to have affected relatives, and were more likely to have atypical clinical manifestations. Although it is known what causes Gaucher's Disease, it is not known how that can also cause the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

23rd October 2009 - New book

DEEP WITHIN THE BRAIN : LIVING WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Helmut Dubiel, Hubert H. Fernandez

Publisher's description : At the age of forty-six, philosopher and university professor Helmut Dubiel was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In the early stages of his sickness, fearing censure and ostracism, Dubiel did his utmost to conceal his condition. But when his symptoms became too obvious to camouflage, he was obliged to admit defeat and decided to undergo deep brain stimulation surgery. In this fascinating book, Dubiel describes the course of his illness with a philosopher's aplomb, ennobling his personal experience with intellectual flair and scientific insight as he makes connections between his own medical drama and some of today's most significant global tendencies.  Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

19th October 2009 - New research

THE EFFECT OF MAO INHIBITORS ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE
                                                                                                                                                                       Cochrane Database of systematic reviews [2009] 4 : CD006661 (R.Caslake, A.Macleod, N.Ives, R.Stowe, C.Counsell) Complete abstract

Researchers compared the effect of MAO-B inhibitors on Parkinson's Disease with the use of dopaminergic drugs. MAO-B inhibitors that are commonly used with Parkinson's Disease are Selegiline (Deprenyl) and Rasagiline (Azilect). MAO-B inhibitors help to sustain the levels of dopamine. For more information go to MAO inhibitors. Those people taking MAO-B inhibitors were far more likely to require additional treatments than those taking L-dopa or dopamine agonists. MAO-B inhibitors were sufficient on their own in very few people. MAO-B inhibitors caused far fewer motor fluctuations than L-dopa, but a bit more than dopamine agonists. Withdrawals due to adverse events were far less common with MAO-B inhibitors than with dopamine agonists. The authors concluded that MAO-B inhibitors are one option for the early treatment of Parkinson's Disease, but that they have weaker symptomatic effects than L-dopa and dopamine agonists. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

15th October 2009 - News release

THE EFFECT OF COGANE ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Phytopharm have claimed that Cogane has reversed the effects of Parkinson's Disease. However, the study did not measure the long term effects, and the full details of the clinical trial have not been made available for analysis. For more information go to their News release. Cogane, which can be taken orally, readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to stimulate the release of GDNF. GDNF can indirectly stimulate the formation of dopamine, the substance whose insufficiency causes Parkinson's Disease.  For more information go to Cogane.  However, GDNF deficiency has never been shown to be the cause of Parkinson's Disease. GDNF was shown to be ineffective in clinical trials in humans. Although Phytopharm claim that Cogane can reverse the effects of Parkinson's Disease, Cogane has never reversed the effects of Parkinson's Disease in anyone. The efficacy study was only carried out on Macaque monkeys. Macaque monkeys do not have Parkinson's Disease. What is described as Parkinson's Disease in monkeys is usually only drug induced. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

14th October 2009 - News report

AGENT ORANGE ACCEPTED AS A CAUSE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs  has acknowledged Agent Orange as a cause of Parkinson's Disease.  For more information go to the News report. Agent Orange is the name given to a herbicide used by the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War as a means of warfare. For more information go to Agent Orange. In practical terms, those Veterans who served in the Vietnam War and who have Parkinson's Disease will not have to prove an association between their Parkinson's Disease and their military service in Vietnam. This acknowledgement simplifies and speeds up any application they make for benefits. For their web site go to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Their acknowledgement of an association is based entirely on the "Veterans and Agent Orange Update 2008", which can be read here. Although the report claims to "link" Agent Orange to Parkinson's Disease, it fails to provide any evidence at all showing that Agent Orange had caused Parkinson's Disease. There have been over 300 published studies on the effects of Agent Orange, yet none of them have shown that Agent Orange has ever caused Parkinson's Disease. Toxic exposure can not begin to have an effect on Parkinson's Disease years or decades after toxic exposure as is often claimed. It can occur in almost anyone without toxicity being the cause. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

11th October 2009 - New research

DUAL LAYER L-DOPA FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Clinical Neuropharmacology [2009] 32 (4) : 189-192 (Hinson VK, Goetz CG, Leurgans S, Fan W, Nguyen T, Hsu A.) Complete abstract

IPX054, which is a form of L-dopa, in which there are two layers, has been shown to be slightly more effective than conventional forms of L-dopa, despite only having to be taken twice a day instead of throughout the day. L-dopa usually comes in two different formats : either the immediate release version, which satisfies the immediate need for L-dopa, or the controlled release version, which avoids the excessive effects of L-dopa by spreading out the effect over time. IPX054 combines the two types of L-dopa, immediate release and controlled release, in one tablet, in two different layers, aiming to provide the benefits of both formats. In clinical practice, this ease of administration may offer improved treatment compliance and effectiveness. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

7th October 2009 - News release

MAGNETIC THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Pico-Tesla claim to have shown “significant  improvement over placebo” in reducing Parkinson’s disease symptoms using their magnetic therapy Magneceutical, that persisted for up to two months after treatment without side effects. The level of improvement was not disclosed. For more information read the News release. Magneceutical Therapy involves the use of an extremely low-level electromagnetic field applied by a specially designed device, the Resonator, along with proprietary therapeutic protocols, intended to improve a number of the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders. Helmholtz coils immerse the entire patient in a low strength electromagnetic field. The strength and duration of the magnetic fields are regulated by Pico-Tesla via the internet. The mechanism of action of magnetic therapy is not known.  For more information concerning the method used go to The Resonator. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

5th October 2009 - New research

L-SULPIRIDE AS A CAUSE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2009] Sep 30 [Epub ahead of print] (Shin HW, Kim MJ, Kim JS, Lee MC, Chung SJ.)  Complete abstract

The drug L-Sulpiride has been found to commonly cause the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Levosulpiride is widely used for the management of Dyspeptic Syndrome, Retarded Gastric Excretion, Vertigo, Vomiting And Nausea. For more information go to L-Sulpiride. Little was known about L-Sulpiride-induced movement disorders (LIM). So the aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with L-Sulpiride-induced movement disorders (LIM). The most common L-Sulpiride-induced movement disorder was Parkinsonism with over 90% of cases, followed by tardive dyskinesia with about 10% of cases, and isolated tremor affecting only 3% of cases. The symptoms are often severe, and L-Sulpiride-induced movement disorders still persisted even after withdrawal of L-Sulpiride in nearly half of patients with L-Sulpiride induced Parkinsonism. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

1st October 2009 - New research

THE EFFECT OF RASAGILINE ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

New England Journal of Medicine [2009] 361 (13) : 1268-1278 (Olanow CW, et al) Complete abstract

Claims based on the results of  a recent clinical trial that Rasagiline (Azilect) slows the progression of Parkinson's Disease are not supported at all by that study's results. Yet it has still been very widely, and falsely claimed that Rasagiline slows the progression of Parkinson's Disease. Rasagiline is a MAO inhibitor, which is a type of drug that is often used in Parkinson's Disease alone, or alongside other treatments. For more information go to Rasagiline. The clinical trial involved over a thousand patients. In early-start treatment with Rasagiline at a dose of 1 mg per day, there was actually a worsening of Parkinson's Disease symptoms throughout the clinical trial. As time progressed during the clinical trial, the effect of 1mg Rasagiline was found to be no different from those people that had taken Rasagiline for only half of the time. The use of 2mg Rasagiline per day was also shown to be no better than the use of 1mg or delaying the use of Rasagiline. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

30th September 2009 - New book

DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION

Peter Bain, Tipu Aziz, Xuguang Liu, Dipankar Nandi

Publisher's description : Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is increasingly used for the treatment of patients with severe Parkinson's disease, but the technique and science behind it is still poorly understood by most clinicians. This book is intended to provide an overview of the use of DBS for movement disorders. The first part of the book covers the varying surgical techniques involved in implanting electrodes into various deep nuclei within the brain. The neuro-physiological techniques involved in this process and the complex issue of programming the implanted stimulator in order to optimize therapeutic efficacy and minimize stimulation induced adverse effects. The second part of the book describes how to select appropriate patients and describes the results of DBS treatment for Parkinson's disease, dystonia and tremors. Edited by three of the world's leading experts in the DBS field, this pocketbook provides neurologists, trainees, and specialist nurses with an overview of the therapeutics use of DBS. Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

27th September 2009 - New research

OCCUPATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Archives of Neurology [2009] 66 (9) : 1106-1113 (Tanner CM, Ross GW, Jewell SA, Hauser RA, Jankovic J, Factor SA, Bressman S, Deligtisch A, Marras C, Lyons KE, Bhudhikanok GS, Roucoux DF, Meng C, Abbott RD, Langston JW.) Complete abstract

Work in agriculture, education, health care, or welding was not associated with increased risk of Parkinsonism. Unexpected increased risks associated with legal, construction and extraction, or religious occupations were not maintained after adjustment for duration. However, having worked in business, finance, legal occupations, construction and extraction, or transportation and material moving was associated with postural instability and gait difficulty. None of the occupations, job tasks, or task-related exposures were associated with Parkinson's Disease being diagnosed at a younger age. Pesticide use made the likelihood of Parkinsonism almost twice (1.9 times) more likely.  Use of any of 8 pesticides more than doubled (2.2 times) the likelihood. This risk was even higher (2.59 times more likely) with the use of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

26th September 2009 - New book

UNDERSTANDING PARKINSON'S DISEASE : A SELF-HELP GUIDE

David L. Cram, Xiao Gao, Steven Schechter

Publisher's description : A simple, sympathetic guide to coping with a progressive, disabling brain disorder. Physician Cram was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease ten years ago. Here he matches his personal experience with his experiences treating other patients with the disease. Cram is a firm believer in four elements to self-help : a positive attitude, information about the disease; partnership with a knowledgeable physician, and a willingness to take action, to do the things "that make you feel better, help slow the disability, and keep you as independent as possible for as long as possible.'' Cram goes on to explain the overall progression of the disease through five stages. The hope he offers is that early self-help and medication may delay or even prevent the later stages. He looks at length at emotional considerations, diet, exercise, and other lifestyle needs, as well as present and possible future medical treatments. Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

22nd September 2009 - New research

THE PREVALENCE OF HALLUCINATIONS IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Journal of Neurological Science [2009] Sep 7 [Epub ahead of print] (Fénelon G, Alves G.) Complete abstract

Visual hallucinations have been found to be present in about one quarter to one third of people with Parkinson's Disease. Auditory hallucinations occur in up to 20%. Psychotic symptoms are frequent and disabling in people with Parkinson's Disease. Tactile (touch) and olfactory (smell) hallucinations are usually not systematically checked. Minor phenomena such as sense of presence and visual illusions affect anywhere between 17% to 72% of people with Parkinson's Disease. Delusions affect only about 5%. Hallucinations persist and worsen and their prevalence increases with time. The symptoms are usually due to Parkinson's Disease drugs. Dopaminergic agonists increase the likelihood of symptoms, but there is no simple dose-effect relationship between dopaminergic treatments and the presence or severity of hallucinations. Other factors associated with hallucinations include older age, longer duration of Parkinson's Disease, disease severity, altered dream phenomena, and daytime sleepiness. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

18th September 2009 - New research

SUICIDE IS FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Journal of Neurological Science [2009] Sep 7 [Epub ahead of print] (Kostic VS, Pekmezovic T, Tomic A, Jecmenica-Lukic M, Stojkovic T, Spica V, Svetel M, Stefanova E, Petrovic I, Džoljic E.) Complete abstract

People with Parkinson's Disease have been found to be five times more likely to commit suicide. In some people with Parkinson's Disease, this tendency increases far beyond that. Current thoughts of death or suicide were found in nearly a quarter of people with Parkinson's Disease. This tendency was related to mood, especially depression, rather than the severity of  Parkinson's Disease symptoms. The primary cause of Parkinson's Disease is insufficient dopamine. Although insufficient dopamine causes the excessive muscle contraction that is characteristic of Parkinson's Disease, insufficient dopamine also affects the emotions, tending to make people more prone to depression. This is why depression is common in many, but certainly not all people with Parkinson's Disease. So the increased likelihood of suicide and suicidal thoughts in Parkinson's Disease is largely caused due to a biochemical deficiency of dopamine rather than by the practical problems and circumstances that Parkinson's Disease can lead to. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

14th September 2009 - New book

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF PHYSIOTHERAPY ON FUNCTION IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Muhammed Al - Jarrah

Publisher's description : Drugs used to treat PD halt the symptoms of the disease for a few years, but later can result in serious complications. Surgery as another option available to treat PD has been shown to carry significant risk factors and treat only certain symptoms of PD. Several studies demonstrated that exercise provides protection against PD and lowers the risk of getting PD, but most of these studies did not examine the physiological mechanisms of how exercise helps patients with PD. In this book, we conducted experiments to begin to narrow down the possible changes occurring with exercise in chronic/progressive animal model of PD that would explain the beneficial outcomes. These mechanisms include the beneficial effect of exercise on Respiratory parameters such as O2 consumption, CO2 production, heat production and citrate synthase activity in cardiac and skeletal muscles. Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

11th September 2009 - News release

THE WORLD'S SMALLEST DEEP BRAIN STIMULATOR FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Approval has been given for the world's smallest, longest-lasting rechargeable Deep Brain Stimulator (DBS) for Parkinson's Disease. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) involves the use in Parkinson's Disease of electrodes that are implanted into the brain and connected to a small electrical device that can be externally programmed. For more information go to Deep brain stimulation. The new small device is called the Brio neurostimulator. It is very thin and light, and only slightly bigger than a man's wrist watch. Additionally, the device has the greatest recommended implant depth of any rechargeable DBS device. The thin profile and greater implant depth potentially makes the neurostimulator less noticeable and more comfortable for patients. The Brio DBS system delivers mild electrical pulses to specific targets in the brain, stimulating the structures that are involved in muscular movement. The system consists of a neurostimulator – a surgically implanted battery-operated device that generates the electrical pulses – and leads which carry the pulses to the brain to influence the irregular nerve signals responsible for the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. For more details read the News release. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

9th September 2009 - New research

THE EFFECT OF ROPINIROLE (REQUIP) ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Clinical neurology and neurosurgery [2009] Sep 2 [Epub ahead of print] (Valldeoriola F, Cobaleda S, Lahuerta J.) Complete abstract

Ropinirole is a dopamine agonist that is commonly used in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. It is often sold as Requip, Ropark, or Adartrel. For more information go to Ropinirole. Ropinirole was found to be mostly used as an add on treatment (in 76% of cases), and as the only treatment in around a quarter (24%) of those people using it. The average maintenance dose was found to be 9mg per day, and normally be within the range 4mg to 15mg. Over a quarter (28%) of people taking Ropinirole reported adverse reactions. The most frequent adverse reactions were somnolence and sedation (9%), gastrointestinal symptoms (7%), increase in dyskinesia (6%), and orthostatic symptoms (4%). Treatment using Ropinirole was withdrawn in 14% of patients, largely because of either adverse reactions, lack of efficacy, or change in treatment. Over 80% of people taking Ropinirole were considered by their neurologists to have improved after taking it. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

5th September 2009 - New research

RETINAL STEM CELLS DISAPPEAR AFTER SURGERY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Neurology [2009] Sep 2. [Epub ahead of print] (Farag ES, Vinters HV, Bronstein J.) Complete abstract

Retinal pigment epithelial cells have been found to disappear after being used in a form of surgery intended for use in Parkinson's Disease. For years, the use of implanted stem cells have been claimed to have the potential  to rid Parkinson's Disease. One of these means is the use of RPE (retinal pigment epithelium) cells. These cells are found in the eyes and can also produce dopamine, the substance whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease. A 68-year-old man underwent surgical implantation of 325,000 RPE cells in Spheramine (gelatin microcarriers) for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. He happened to die six months after the surgery took place. This enabled the researchers to see what happened to retinal stem cells after surgical implantation. Over 99.9% of the cells had disappeared after only six months. Implanted stem cells simply failed to survive. A previous study using the same methods demonstrated only a moderate benefit for six months. For more details see the Complete abstract. Despite different forms of stem cell surgery now being carried out in countries around the world, there is not even one study in the entire medical literature showing that anybody has ever been rid of Parkinson's Disease by this means.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

2nd September 2009 - News report

PIMAVANSERIN FAILS CLINICAL TRIAL FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Pimavanserin, a drug in development for psychosis related to Parkinson's Disease failed to have any beneficial effect in clinical trials. Psychotic episodes, such as hallucinations and delusions, sometimes occur in Parkinson's Disease. The drug was being developed by Arcadia and Biovail. For more information go to Biovail. Parkinson's Disease is largely due to insufficient dopamine. Psychosis appears to be due to almost the opposite - an excess or an accumulation of dopamine. This is why anti-psychotic drugs can cause Parkinson's Disease symptoms, and why Parkinson's Disease drugs can sometimes cause symptoms of psychosis. Pimavanserin is a "5-HT 2A receptor inverse agonist". Biochemically that could have no effect on the excessive dopamine found in psychosis.  So the failure of Pimavanserin in clinical trials is almost predictable. The psychosis sometimes experienced in Parkinson's Disease is normally due to the excessive use of dopaminergic drugs. So a reduction in the use of those drugs is a more rational approach than using an additional drug to combat the effects of dopaminergic drugs. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

25th August 2009 - New research

THE COMPARISON OF L-DOPA AND DOPAMINE AGONISTS

American Family Physician [2009] 80 (1) : 28-30 (Hitzeman N, Rafii F.) Complete abstract

Dopamine agonists have been found to have little advantage over the use of L-dopa in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. Dopamine agonists are being used increasingly as the initial treatment for Parkinson Disease, but uncertainty remains about their clinical-effectiveness and cost relative to the use of L-dopa.  Based on 29 clinical trials involving over 5000 people, dyskinesia, dystonia and motor fluctuations occurred less in people using dopamine agonists. However, various non-motor adverse effects were worse in those using dopamine agonists including : edema (fluid accumulation), somnolence (sleepiness), dizziness, hallucinations, constipation, and nausea. Some agonists are also known to cause compulsions. People treated with dopamine agonists were also significantly more likely than people taking L-dopa to discontinue treatment because of adverse events. The control of Parkinson's Disease symptoms was found to be better with the use of L-dopa than with dopamine agonists. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

21st August 2009 - New book

THE NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS COMPLEX OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

K Ray Chaudhuri, Eduardo Tolosa, Anthony Schapira, Werner Poewe

Publisher's description : Patients with Parkinson's disease are known to suffer from motor symptoms, but they also experience non-motor symptoms that are often present before diagnosis or that inevitably emerge with disease progression. Researchers have only recently begun to focus on the non-motor symptoms, which are poorly recognized and inadequately treated. The non-motor symptoms have a significant impact on patient quality of life and mortality and include neuropsychiatric, sleep-related, autonomic, gastrointestinal, and sensory symptoms. While some non-motor symptoms can be improved with currently available treatments, others may be more refractory and will require research into novel (non-dopaminergic) drug therapies for the future. Edited by members of the UK Parkinson's Disease Non-Motor Group (PD-NMG) and with contributions from international experts, this book summarizes the current understanding of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease and points the way towards future research. Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

19th August 2009 - New research

THE LOSS OF SEX DRIVE IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

The journal of sexual medicine [2009] 6 (4) : 1024-1031 (Kummer A, Cardoso F, Teixeira AL) Complete abstract

Sexual dysfunction is a frequent but neglected problem in Parkinson's Disease, as muscular problems are usually seen as the characteristic symptoms. However, nearly two thirds (65.6%) of people with Parkinson's Disease have been found to suffer a loss of sex drive. Over 42% of those men with Parkinson's Disease also complained of erectile dysfunction. Ageing, female gender, lower education, and depression were most associated with decreased sexual desire. Decreased interest in sex was not associated with antidepressants. The neurological features that were most associated with a greater loss of sex drive were predominance of motor symptoms on the left side of the body, autonomic dysfunction, and severer Parkinson's Disease. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

16th August 2009 - New report

A FUTURE REPLACEMENT FOR SINEMET

According to a new report, Depomed are developing a new drug called DM-1992 that could outperform Sinemet in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. For their report click here. The details are on page 20. Just like Sinemet, DM-1992 is a combination of L-dopa and carbidopa, which prevents the breakdown of L-dopa.  DM-1992 also includes AcuForm, which makes use of the properties of certain polymers. These polymers have long been used to "fluff" ice cream and are safe to use. For more information go to Depomed. Upon entering the stomach an AcuForm coated pill expands and is retained in the stomach for up to 8 hours. This helps to deliver a drug like Sinemet over a longer period of time. Depomed's formulation was able to extend the therapeutic duration of L-dopa to nine hours, compared to Sinemet CR's seven hours. The time to reach peak blood levels was extended to four hours compared to 2 hours for Sinemet CR. These advantages could enable a decrease in the dosage of L-dopa, and the ridding of side effects such as nausea and dyskinesia. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

14th August 2009 - Web site

DBS SURGERY WEB SITE

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is often used for Parkinson's Disease. It involves the use of electrodes that are implanted into the brain and connected to a small electrical device. DBS can reduce the need for L-dopa and related drugs, which in turn decreases the involuntary movements called dyskinesias that are a common side effect of L-dopa. DBS-STN.org is a web site dealing with all aspects of DBS, which is probably the most complex subject in Parkinson's Disease. For their web site go to DBS-STN.org. There is also a forum for DBS where people can raise issues concerning it.

11th August 2009 - New research

THE MICHAEL J.FOX FOUNDATION FUNDS NINE NEW APPROACHES

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is funding nine new research projects for Parkinson's Disease. All of the nearly four million dollar funding has gone to nine biotech and pharmaceutical companies. For more information read the Press release. The research projects consist of seven "neuroprotective approaches", and two projects concerning the treatment of dyskinesia. The following provides links to the details of each of the nine projects :

8th August 2009 - New book

ASK THE DOCTOR ABOUT PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Michael S. Okun, Hubert H. Fernandez

Publisher's description : Derived from Ask the Doctor, a website column written by the authors for the National Parkinson Foundation, this book explores frequently asked questions. It offers detailed answers to the most common questions, including the role of heredity in Parkinson’s, its symptoms and diagnosis, the effectiveness of drugs and other treatments, whether the disease’s progression can be slowed, the future of stem cell treatment in the fight against Parkinson’s disease, and many others. Written in plain, easy-to-understand language, it arms readers with the knowledge they need to better understand and manage the disease. Click here for more details.  For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

7th August 2009 - New research

WELL WATER AS A CAUSE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Environmental Health Perspectives [2009] (Nicole M. Gatto, Myles Cockburn, Jeff Bronstein, Angelika D. Manthripragada, and Beate Ritz) Complete report

Consumption of pesticide contaminated well water has often been claimed to be a cause of Parkinson’s Disease. When researchers investigated consumption of water from private wells in areas with documented historical pesticide use, they found that it was associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's Disease. Six pesticides were examined : diazinon, chlorpyrifos, propargite, paraquat, dimethoate, and methomyl. People with Parkinson's Disease were found to have consumed well water an average of more than four years longer than people that did not have Parkinson's Disease. Consumption of well water contaminated with the pesticides methomyl, chlorpyrifos or propargite resulted in a 70% to 90% increase in the risk of developing Parkinson's Disease. Exposure to a higher number of water soluble pesticides and organophosphate pesticides also increased the risk of causing Parkinson's Disease. For more information concerning toxic causes, go to the Toxic causes of Parkinson's Disease. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

1st August 2009 - New research

THE WORLD'S HIGHEST PREVALENCE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Neuroepidemiology [2009] 33 (3) : 225-230 (Racette BA, Good LM, Kissel AM, Criswell SR, Perlmutter JS.) Complete abstract

The world's highest prevalence of Parkinson's Disease by far has been found among the Amish religious community, where Parkinson's Disease is two to three times more prevalent than anywhere else in the world.

The Amish are primarily in the North East of the U.S.A. They are a devoutly religious community who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible. They segregate themselves from other communities, wear traditional clothes, and live a traditional lifestyle that does not permit the use of electricity, television, radio, or telephones. For transport they use horses and carriages instead of cars, which they are not allowed to use. Most speak a German dialect known as Pennsylvania Dutch. For more information click here and here, and for a brief video of their lifestyle click here.

The prevalence of Parkinson's Disease amongst the Amish aged 60 or older has been found to be 5,703 per 100,000, which is enormously high. According to U.N.Data, 17% of the U.S. population is aged 60 or older. So the prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in the Amish community as a whole is  970 per 100,000. This is by far the highest prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in the world, and around three times the prevalence of the U.S.A., despite the U.S.A having the highest prevalence of any country. The Amish refuse to take out health insurance. They are also afflicted by genetic disorders. So it was thought that the cause might be genetic. However, the more closely related they were, the less they were affected. They are primarily involved in agriculture, and most of them use pesticides, but the effect of pesticides was not assessed by the researchers. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

28th July 2009 - New research

HIGH CARBOHYDRATE FOODS LESSEN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Nutrition [2009] Jul 21 [Epub ahead of print] (Murakami K, Miyake Y, Sasaki S, Tanaka K, Fukushima W, Kiyohara C, Tsuboi Y, Yamada T, Oeda T, Miki T, Kawamura N, Sakae N, Fukuyama H, Hirota Y, Nagai M; for the Fukuoka Kinki Parkinson's Disease Study Group.) Complete abstract

High glycemic carbohydrates have been found to be inversely related to Parkinson's Disease. Carbohydrates that have a high glycemic index (such as sugar, white bread, baked potatoes and breakfast cereals) are those that break down quickly in to glucose in the blood. For more information go to Glycemic index. The researchers expected that foods such as these would decrease the risk of Parkinson's Disease by an insulin-induced increase in brain dopamine. Their theory appears to be correct, because high glycemic carbohydrates were significantly inversely associated with the risk of Parkinson's Disease. The greater the intake, the less was the risk. No association was observed for other dietary carbohydrates, or dietary fiber intake. It was already known that an inability to make use of carbohydrates was common in Parkinson's Disease, with 50%-80% of people with Parkinson's Disease being prone to diabetes. In those people, higher carbohydrate intakes can not be made use of. For more information see the Complete abstract. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

26th July 2009 - New report

AGENT ORANGE WRONGLY LINKED TO PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Veterans and Agent Orange Update 2008 Complete report

Based on a new report, it has been widely reported that Agent Orange has been "linked" to Parkinson's Disease. Agent Orange is the name given to a herbicide used by the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War as a means of warfare. For more information go to Agent Orange. Despite the claims being made, not even one study in the report shows that Agent Orange had caused Parkinson's Disease in Vietnam War veterans. Even the report itself states that there is not sufficient evidence of an association between Agent Orange and Parkinson's Disease "because chance, bias, and confounding could not be ruled out with confidence."

There have been over 300 published studies on the effects of Agent Orange, yet none of them have shown that Agent Orange has caused Parkinson's Disease. Claims of Agent Orange causing Parkinson's Disease have usually detailed how Parkinson's Disease was diagnosed years after possible exposure to Agent Orange. However, with Parkinson's Disease, if somebody is affected by a toxin, they usually suffer the effects at their worst soon after exposure to the toxin. So if Agent Orange caused the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, they would have initiated whilst in Vietnam - not decades later. Somebody could be exposed to Agent Orange and quite independently develop Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease can occur in almost anyone without toxicity being the cause. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

24th July 2009 - New book  and DVD

MOVE IT, AN EXERCISE AND MOVEMENT GUIDE FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Kevin Lockette

Publisher's description : Move It! is a complete movement, exercise and resource guide for people with Parkinson's Disease. The book includes : Overview of physical symptoms; Medication review in easily understandable terms; Techniques and tricks for improved mobility including bed mobility, transfers, & walking; Anti-freezing techniques that really work; Adaptive devices for easier everyday living; Complete exercise programs specific for Parkinson's Disease; Exercise programs for all physical levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced); Complete guide and exercise program for flexibility. For more details of the book click here. For more details of the DVD click here. For the web site click here. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books.

22nd July 2009 - New research

ISTRADEFYLLINE FAILS CLINICAL TRIALS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Parkinsonism Related Disorders [2009] Jul 17 [Epub ahead of print] (Fernandez HH, Greeley DR, Zweig RM, Wojcieszek J, Mori A, Sussman NM)  Complete abstract

Istradefylline is an A(2A) adenosine receptor antagonist, and so does not act by directly increasing the activity of dopamine, as do the most effective methods of treating Parkinson's Disease. It has been claimed for years to be a promising method of treating Parkinson's Disease on its own. However, in new clinical trials, when used on its own, it failed to demonstrate any beneficial effect.  By the end of the clinical trial its effects were little different from the use of a placebo. The researchers claim that Istradefylline "is safe and well tolerated". Yet about two thirds of the people using it reported adverse events, despite failing to gain any benefit from it. In three previous clinical trials in 2008, the benefits claimed were minimal, and were accompanied by a range of side effects [1] [2] [3]. Istradefylline is one of a series of recent novel approaches for treating Parkinson's Disease that has been claimed, despite not having a sound scientific basis, to be very promising, yet has failed when clinically tested. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

19th July 2009 - New research

THE EFFECT OF ADDING AGONISTS TO L-DOPA IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Neural Stem International Journal of Clinical Practice [2009] 63 (4) : 613-623 (Talati R, Baker WL, Patel AA, Reinhart K, Coleman CI.) Complete abstract

Adding the use of dopamine agonists to the existing use of L-dopa has been found to reduce Parkinson's Disease symptoms, but it increases the side effects. As the effect of L-dopa tends to wear off, some patients are given dopamine agonists for an additional effect. Scores on the primary assessment of Parkinson's Disease, the UPDRS, are reduced when people added dopamine agonists to the existing use of L-dopa. They also experienced symptoms for less time, and were able to reduce their dosage of L-dopa. However, the incidence of dyskinesia and hallucinations was higher when dopamine agonists were added to the existing use of L-dopa. So the increase in efficacy was paid for with increased adverse events. Although the effect of L-dopa wears off in time, so does the effect of dopamine agonists. Dopamine agonists work by stimulating the dopamine receptors. However, continuous use of dopamine agonists makes the dopamine receptors progressively less sensitive to dopamine and dopamine agonists. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

17th July 2009 - New research

STEM CELLS MIGRATE IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Neuroscience Letters [2009] Jul 8. [Epub ahead of print] (Feng ZH, Ji MA, Li YU, Gang YU.) Complete abstract

Neural Stem Cell transplantation has been claimed for decades to have the potential to treat medical disorders including Parkinson's disease. Researchers investigated the effect of transplanted Neural Stem Cells in an animal model of Parkinson's Disease. They found that the implanted stem cells migrated to where they are needed, rather than merely remain where they are added. A significant portion of the cells differentiated in to the cells responsible for producing dopamine, the substance whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease. The researchers claimed that this improved Parkinson's Disease. However, the Parkinson's Disease symptoms were only induced, and their methods did not actually assess improvements in Parkinson's Disease. Despite stem cell operations now being carried out around the world, they have never resulted in anyone being rid of Parkinson's Disease. Although it is claimed that stem cell operations are necessary because there is massive cell loss in Parkinson's Disease, no studies have ever shown that there is massive cell loss in Parkinson's Disease.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

14th July 2009 - New research

GENETICS MULTIPLY THE EFFECT OF PESTICIDES ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Environmental health perspectives [2009] 117 (6) : 964-969 (Ritz BR, Manthripragada AD, Costello S, Lincoln SJ, Farrer MJ, Cockburn M, Bronstein J.) Complete abstract

The chance of pesticide exposure causing Parkinson's Disease has been found to be far greater in those genetically inclined to Parkinson's Disease. Genetic defects are not typical in Parkinson's Disease. However, those people that have them are usually unaware of them. A defect in the dopamine transporter (DAT) can increase the risk of Parkinson's Disease by more than one and a half times, and as much as several times. The dopamine transporter (DAT) rids dopamine after it is produced. There are usually lower levels of DAT in Parkinson's Disease because there is less dopamine to rid. The researchers do not explain how this defect can increase Parkinson's Disease. However, ridding dopamine too readily would explain the increased prevalence of Parkinson's Disease. In combination with exposure to pesticides, the risk of Parkinson's Disease was multiplied. Exposure to the pesticides paraquat and maneb, which are known causes of Parkinson's Disease, were increased by three times in those people  that had one defect in the dopamine transporter, and by more than four times in those people that had two defects in the dopamine transporter. In some people the risks were many times greater than this. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

12th July 2009 - New research

SCOLIOSIS IS PREVALENT IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Journal of Clinical Neurology [2009] 5 (2) : 91-94 (Baik JS, Kim JY, Park JH, Han SW, Park JH, Lee MS.) Complete abstract

Scoliosis has been found to be far more common in people with Parkinson's Disease. Scoliosis is an often painful medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. For more information go to Scoliosis.  Scoliosis was defined as a deviation of the spine of 10 degrees or more. All of the patients submitted to a scanograph to allow measurement of the degree of scoliosis. Scoliosis was found in a third of people with Parkinson's Disease. This is far more common than would be expected. Scoliosis was found to be  seven times more likely in women than it is in men. The likelihood also increased with age.  The use of dopaminergic drugs did not appear to have any effect on the degree of scoliosis. The researchers do not explain this prevalence of scoliosis in Parkinson's Disease, especially in women. However, the excessive muscle contraction that occurs in Parkinson's Disease can cause the upper body to bend towards one side rather than the other.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

10th July 2009 - New research

GULF WAR VETERANS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE

American journal of industrial medicine [2009] Jul 7 [Epub ahead of print] (Barth SK, Kang HK, Bullman TA, Wallin MT.) Complete abstract

It has been suggested that some cases of Parkinson's Disease have been caused by toxicity due to participation in the Gulf War in 1990-1991. This study assessed mortality rates in several conditions including Parkinson's Disease amongst Gulf War veterans. Over a million veterans were assessed. However, mortality rates were found to be no greater in Gulf War veterans with Parkinson's Disease. Mortality rates were actually lower for Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and also ALS.  However, Gulf War veterans potentially exposed to nerve agents at Khamisiyah, Iraq, and to oil well fire smoke had an increased risk of mortality due to brain cancer. As Parkinson's Disease is not a fatal illness, a better measure of the effects of the Gulf War on Parkinson's Disease would have been the prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in Gulf War veterans. However, no other studies have so far shown an increased prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in Gulf War veterans either. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

9th July 2009 - News reports

INTERFERING WITH GLUTAMATE TO PREVENT PARKINSON'S DISEASE

It has been widely reported that researchers are aiming to interfere with the formation of Glutamate in order to prevent Parkinson's Disease. For the news reports go to Medical News Today and Science Daily. The research was recently presented at a conference. Glutamate is able to form GABA in the brain. GABA is a chemical produced naturally by the brain, that affects muscular function. An excess of GABA could provoke symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.  The researchers aim to stimulate "trigger points" in order to prevent the release of glutamate. By targeting specific receptors they hope that side-effects will be minimised as fewer targets elsewhere in the brain will be stimulated. They claim that glutamate causes cell death in Parkinson's Disease. However, glutamate formation is a healthy function, and has never been shown, in normal quantities, to cause cell death in people with Parkinson's Disease. The fundamental weakness in their theory is that glutamate has never been responsible for causing Parkinson's Disease when dopamine formation is sufficient either.  The primary biochemical fault in Parkinson's Disease has been proven to be the insufficient formation of dopamine rather than an excess of glutamate. Yet the approach used by the researchers could not, even in theory, increase dopamine formation.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

3rd July 2009 - New research

THE LACK OF CENTENARIANS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Journal of Rural Health [2009] Summer; 25 (3) : 320-325 (Kaye J, Michael Y, Calvert J, Leahy M, Crawford D, Kramer P.) Complete abstract

In America alone, there are over 50,000 people over the age of 100. It is widely claimed that the likelihood of Parkinson's Disease increases with age, almost as if it is an age related deterioration. In contradiction of this assumption, the current study found that in centenarians (those over 100 years old) Parkinson's Disease was rarely found, thereby nullifying the assumption of Parkinson's Disease being age related. It was also recently found that Parkinson's Disease started to become less likely at 90 years of age onwards. For the details click here.  However, some degree of dementia did become the norm in centenarians. Dementia is far more related to age. Over 60% of centenarians were found to have dementia, and nearly 30% of them were found to have some form of impairment. Only around 10% of centenarians were found to be without some degree of dementia. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.