Thursday, November 16, 2023

Eye scans unveil Parkinson’s disease markers seven years early

Markers that indicate the presence of Parkinson’s disease in patients on average seven years before clinical presentation have been identified by a University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital research team. This is the first time anyone has shown these findings several years before diagnosis, and these results were made possible by the largest study to date on retinal imaging in Parkinson’s disease.

Lead author Dr Siegfried Wagner said: “I continue to be amazed by what we can discover through eye scans. While we are not yet ready to predict whether an individual will develop Parkinson’s, we hope that this method could soon become a pre-screening tool for people at risk of disease.” Click here to learn more.

Scientists tame biological trigger of Huntington’s disease

For the first time, UC Riverside scientists have shown they can slow the progression of Huntington's disease in flies and worms, opening the door to human treatments. Key to understanding these advancements is the way that genetic information in cells is converted from DNA into RNA, and then into proteins. 

“We are first to discover that a type of chemical modification, called methylation, occurs more frequently with extra repeats in RNA. Then we see abnormal distribution and buildup of a particular protein in cells,” said Yinsheng Wang, distinguished UCR professor of chemistry. Click here to learn more.

Trial of botulinum toxin for isolated or essential head tremor

In a multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial, local injections of botulinum toxin type A were used to treat essential head tremor. Researchers assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, adult patients with essential or isolated head tremor to receive botulinum toxin type A or a placebo. A total of 117 patients were randomly assigned to receive botulinum toxin (62 patients) or placebo (55 patients). The primary outcome — improvement by at least 2 points on the CGI scale at week 18 — was met by 31% of the patients in the botulinum toxin group as compared with 9% of those in the placebo group. Click here to learn more.

Wireless, handheld, non-invasive device detects Parkinson's biomarkers

An international team of researchers has developed a handheld, non-invasive device that can detect biomarkers for Parkinson's disease. The biosensor can also transmit the results wirelessly to a laptop or smartphone. The device relies on electrical rather than chemical detection, which researchers say is easier to implement and more accurate.

“This portable diagnostic system would allow testing at-home and at point of care, like clinics and nursing homes, for neurodegenerative diseases globally,” said Ratnesh Lal, a bioengineering, mechanical engineering and materials science professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and one of the paper's corresponding authors. Click here to learn more.

A neural blueprint for depression

New findings have revealed key genetic and cognitive factors linked to depression, showing genetic variants affecting brain structure in adolescents and how depression more severely impacts reasoning in older adults. “Identifying brain markers and risk factors for depression gets us closer to diagnosing and treating the disorder more effectively,” said Diego A. Pizzagalli, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

The findings were presented on Monday, November 13, at Neuroscience 2023, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. Click here to learn more.

HDSA Rocky Mountain Family Education Day - now available online

Click the accompanying video screen to watch the 2023 Rocky Mountain Huntington’s Disease Family Education Day, held on October 21 in Englewood, Colorado, featuring presentations by the region's leading physicians and medical experts on Huntington's disease research, social work, advocacy, and palliative and spiritual care.