BUSM researchers identify role of FOXO1 gene in Parkinson's disease. Public release date: 28-Jun-2012 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Jenny Eriksen Learyjenny.eriksen@bmc.org 617-638-6841Boston University Medical Center (Boston) – A recent study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) revealed that the FOXO1 gene may play an important role in the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease. These findings are published online in PLoS Genetics, a peer-reviewed open-access journal published by the Public Library of Science. The study was led by Alexandra Dumitriu, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the department of neurology at BUSM. Richard Myers, PhD, professor of neurology at BUSM, is the study's senior author. According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year and approximately one million Americans are currently living with the disease. [ Print | E-mail AAAS and EurekAlert!
Finding Brings Scientists One Step Closer to Parkinson's Drug. UBC team identifies Parkinson's disease gene with help of Saskatchewan Mennonite families. June 27, 2012 An international team including scientists from the University of Saskatchewan-Saskatoon Health Region and University of British Columbia, with the help of Saskatchewan Mennonite families, has identified an abnormal gene which leads to Parkinson’s disease.
“This discovery paves the way for further research to determine the nature of brain abnormalities which this gene defect produces,” says Dr. Ali Rajput, a world expert in Parkinson’s disease who has been studying the disease for 45 years and working with the main family in the study since 1983. “It also promises to help us find ways to detect Parkinson’s disease early, and to develop drugs which will one day halt the progression of the disease.” The abnormal gene is a mutated version of a gene called DNAJC13, identified by UBC medical genetics professor Matthew Farrer, who led the study. Thirteen of 57 members of one extended Saskatchewan family in the study had been previously diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Sleep Improves Functioning in Parkinson’s Patients, but Reasons Remain Elusive. Sleep Improves Functioning in Parkinson’s Patients, but Reasons Remain Elusive New Study Published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease June 20, 2012 Some Parkinson’s patients report that their motor function is better upon awakening in the morning, which is contrary to what would be expected after a night without medication. This phenomenon, known as sleep benefit, has been studied but no consistent variables have been found and in the last decade there has been little new research. A new study, published in the June issue of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, assesses a large sample of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and confirms that some patients experience sleep benefit, both overnight and following afternoon naps, but finds no significant variables between those who do benefit and those who do not.
The study included 243 PD patients who completed a comprehensive screening questionnaire covering the range of motor and non-motor symptoms occurring in PD. Dr. Dr. 'Brain pacemaker' effective for years against Parkinson's disease. A "brain pacemaker" called deep brain stimulation (DBS) remains an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease for at least three years, according to a study in the June 2010 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. But while improvements in motor function remained stable, there were gradual declines in health-related quality of life and cognitive abilities. First author of the study is Frances M. Weaver, PhD, who has joint appointments at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Weaver was one of the lead investigators of a 2010 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine that found that motor functions remained stable for two years in DBS patients.
The new additional analysis extended the follow-up period to 36 months. DBS is a treatment for Parkinson's patients who no longer benefit from medication, or who experience unacceptable side effects. Parkinson's Disease - Smelling Test For Early Detection. Promising Progress: Inhaled Formulation of Levodopa Enters Phase Two of Clinical Testing.
One-Time Monthly In Tribute Team Fox Tweet HOME › Our Role & Impact › FoxFeed Blog The latest reporting and analysis on breakthroughs in Parkinson's research and issues that matter most to you. National Institutes of Health Receives $3 Billion Spending Boost March 22, 2018 The spending deal was released last night and the bill must be passed by this Friday, March 23. New $6 Million Program Looks at Causes of Parkinson's The Michael J. Ask the MD: Parkinson's Diagnosis and Biomarkers In the latest "Ask the MD" video, Dr. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) Tells PD Advocates: 'What You Do Matters' March 21, 2018 Senator Booker gave a keynote speech to nearly 300 advocates in Washington, D.C. for the 2018 Parkinson's Policy Forum. Collaboration Most Ambitious Initiative toward a Cure March 20, 2018 The Lancet Neurology calls the AMP PD program the "most ambitious initiative so far to find a cure for Parkinson's.
" Pharma Company Buys Up MJFF-funded Biotech and Motor Symptom Therapy March 19, 2018 March 14, 2018 Dr.