Scientists warn: Common cleaning chemical linked to 500% increased risk of Parkinson’s disease

In a paper published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, an international team of researchers postulates that TCE - a common and widely used cleaning chemical - may be an invisible cause of Parkinson’s disease [PD]. The paper details the evidence linking the toxicant to Parkinson’s and profiles seven individuals, including a former NBA basketball player, a Navy captain and a late U.S. Senator, who developed PD either after likely working with the chemical or being exposed to it in the environment. Click here to learn more.

AuraSense Tech uses haptics to help physical therapists improve hand health

Despite the increase in demand for hand-therapy care due to our aging population, pervasive technology utilization and work injuries, the number of physical and occupational therapists who provide progressive treatment is on the decline. The International Society for Hand Therapy cites that there is one hand therapist for every 100,000 people in the United States.

How can clinicians, then, gather better, more efficient hand-movement data from patients to guide their care more effectively, and then present that data back to the patient in actionable ways? The answer came from an unlikely source: a Portable Handheld Acoustic Speaker Disruptor invented for the US Navy. Click here to learn more.

Assay determines presence of FA by measuring frataxin protein in blood

A new assay to measure levels of the frataxin protein in blood could be used to assess the effectiveness of treatments for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) in early clinical trials, according to a study published in Analytical Chemistry.

Researchers showed that measuring frataxin with this method, which uses pig blood as part of the standardization procedure, could distinguish between people with or without FA. Frataxin measured using this method also correlated with age at onset among patients. Click here to learn more.

With essential tremor, life doesn’t always go the way you pictured

The KINETIC 2 TRIAL is studying the potential efficacy on tremor reduction of three different doses of an investigational drug as compared to placebo. If you have been diagnosed with essential tremor for at least three years, you may be eligible to participate. Click here to learn more.

Note: the safety and efficacy of investigational drugs have not been established. There is no guarantee that this drug will be approved by a health authority, such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Alpha-synuclein buildup seen in vagus nerve in prodromal disease

A new study on rats published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation finds that overproduction of toxic forms of the alpha-synuclein protein in the vagus nerve, the longest nerve connecting the brain to the intestines and other key organs, disrupts the autonomic nervous system prior to motor symptom onset.

Problems with this system are commonly reported before motor symptoms develop in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease [PD]. Further research in this model “may contribute to the emergence of effective therapies to delay or prevent the progression of PD from the peripheral autonomic nervous system to the [central nervous system],” according to researchers. Click here to learn more.