Distressing dreams in childhood and the risk of Parkinson's disease in adulthood

Distressing dreams in middle-aged and older adults have been associated with an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment (including dementia) and Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a longitudinal analysis conducted from data first gathered in a 1958 British Birth Cohort Study. Click here to learn more.

Musically minded PhD candidate targets movement disorders through fruit flies

PhD candidate Lucas Restrepo tackles involuntary movement disorders by mutating fruit fly genes to study the process of mitophagy, the process where the cell breaks down and eliminates toxic mitochondria, and strums the banjo in his spare time.

“A lot of diseases can be recapitulated in flies; for example, Parkinson’s,” says Restrepo.

“When we knock out genes mutated in Parkinson’s disease, we see phenotypes like motor discoordination and tremors manifest in the fruit fly," continues Restrepo. "It’s a powerful model for understanding genetic changes and studying multiple genes at once.” Click here to learn more.

HDSA and HDYO launch Youth and Young Adult Mentorship Program

The Huntington's Disease Society of America Youth and Young Adult Mentorship Program is designed to support young people across the United States who face the everyday challenges of growing up in a family affected by Huntington’s Disease.

The HDSA and Huntington's Disease Youth Organization are committed to providing youth (mentee) with one-on-one time with another person within the HD/JHD community (mentor) who will receive training and ongoing support from a Youth Social Worker within the HDSA. Click here to learn more.

New focused ultrasound effective for treating Parkinson’s, movement disorders

“Focused ultrasound is an exciting new treatment for patients with certain neurological disorders,” said Vibhor Krishna, MD, associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and vice chair of inpatient operations in the UNC Department of Neurosurgery.

“The procedure is incisionless," said Krishna, "eliminating the risks associated with surgery. Using focused ultrasound, we can target a specific area of the brain and safely ablate the diseased tissue.” Click here to learn more.

Back issues available atMDF eNewsletter archive

For the past six months, Movement Disorders Foundation has provided individuals living with movement disorders and their care partners with important news, information and resources each Thursday in our free weekly eNewsletter.

Now, you can access our entire catalog of back issues online at www.movementdisordersfoundation.org/enewsletter.