Research

Many clinical trials use a placebo comparison to evaluate the effect of a new drug or therapy. Some people get the active intervention and some get an inactive “fake” treatment that looks the same as the real thing. What is a placebo? Is it a good thing? Can a placebo make you feel worse? From Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research website.

Results are in from a study of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a “brain fertilizer” that some scientists believe may help protect dopamine cells and improve Parkinson’s symptoms. Many news reports are citing the findings as miraculous, but the response could be due to placebo effect.

Gene therapy is a hot topic in Parkinson’s disease. Researchers are now testing this novel approach in clinical trials of people with mid- to late-stage Parkinson’s. These therapies are intended to treat movement symptoms, lessen levodopa needs and, in turn, limit possible medication complications.

We are happy to announce our support to the upcoming new phase of the pet tracer project of AC IMMUNE, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company.

New York’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened in January 2016. This news understandably led the patient and physician communities to ask a number of research and clinical questions about marijuana and Parkinson’s.

Cognitive impairment, disturbance of memory, thinking and/or language abilities, is a non-motor symptom that can be associated with Parkinson’s. Cognitive disturbances can arise at any time in the course of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and vary widely in severity.

There is no single “Parkinson’s diet.” Doctors do however recommend a healthy, balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables. Here we discuss a few of the specific diets about which we often get questions.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new medication for levodopa-induced dyskinesia (Gocovri), making it the fifth new drug for Parkinson’s symptoms in just over two and half years.

Everyone in the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community likely has heard this question and asked it themselves. We say that PD is rarely caused by genetics, but what does that mean for those living with the disease today, their children and family?