Movement Disorders Foundation announces appointment of new board chair, Betty Ross

Movement Disorders Foundation is honored to announce the appointment of board member Betty Ross to the role of Chairperson. Her appointment was confirmed by the MDF Board of Directors at its January meeting. Betty succeeds Betsy Mathies, who remains on the MDF board as Immediate Past Chair.

"Betty brings to the Movement Disorders Foundation a great passion for our mission and programs," said Founding Member of the Board of Directors, Rajeev Kumar, MD. "Her fundraising experience with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America also bolsters our efforts to support movement disorders research."

"I'm looking forward to the future of the Movement Disorders Foundation," said Betty, "and a future in which we all can work together to realize new treatments, preventions and ultimately a cure for people living with movement disorders." Click here to learn more about Betty.

Teva Announces FDA Approval of AUSTEDO® XR Extended-Release Tablets

Teva Pharmaceuticals reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved AUSTEDO XR extended-release tablets, a new once-daily formulation indicated in adults for tardive dyskinesia and chorea associated with Huntington’s disease. AUSTEDO XR is an additional formulation of the currently marketed twice-daily AUSTEDO.

“The approval of AUSTEDO XR is a reflection of our ongoing innovation for people living with TD and HD chorea,” said Eric Hughes, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President of R&D and Chief Medical Officer at Teva. “For some patients living with TD and HD, treatment adherence can be a challenge that this new once-daily dosing option can help to address.” Click here to learn more.

Most forms of exercise equally helpful in managing PD symptoms

For more than 60 years, experts have viewed exercise as a form of treatment for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Scientists are learning more about the mechanics of how exercise helps individuals with the disease. A 2022 study found that a hormone produced during exercise reduces the levels of a protein responsible for Parkinson’s symptoms. Click here to learn more.

Would you like to participate in a clinical study for Essential Tremor (ET)?

Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ EveresT Study is a research study testing the safety and effectiveness of an investigational medication that may help decrease tremor severity for people diagnosed with essential tremor (ET). Click here to learn more and sign up for the study.

Putting Palmitate on Synaptotagmin-11 Stymies α-Synuclein Tetramers

In a healthy brain, α-synuclein leads a dynamic life near the synapse, where it frequently shifts its conformation as well as its association with membrane vesicles. Disruption of this active equilibrium can steer α-synuclein down the path of aggregation, leading to Parkinson’s disease. A study published February 14 in Science Signaling fingers synaptotagmin-11as one such potential disruptor. Click here to learn more.