Thursday, December 14 , 2023

Newly discovered Parkinson’s trigger could prevent disease before it takes hold

A groundbreaking study reveals that Parkinson’s disease (PD) may start much earlier than previously thought.

While it's been believed that the disease begins when brain cells responsible for producing dopamine start to die, the new study shows that the first clear warning sign of PD is a problem in the connection between neurons called the synapse.

“We showed that dopaminergic synapses become dysfunctional before neuronal death occurs,” reported Dr. Dimitri Krainc, chair of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Based on these findings, we hypothesize that targeting dysfunctional synapses before neurons are degenerated may represent a better therapeutic strategy.” Click here to learn more.

Dopamine no longer first-line treatment for restless legs syndrome

The guidelines for restless legs syndrome treatment no longer indicate dopamine agonists as a first-line choice, according to John Winkelman, MD, PhD, chief of the sleep disorders clinical research program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

First-line treatments now include iron, alpha2-delta agents or long-acting opioids. “We have good options in restless legs syndrome, but be very clear, dopamine agonists are not first-line therapy because of the high incidence of augmentation,” he said. Click here to watch video.

Antisense drug trial provides key insights about Huntington's disease

The halted GENERATION HD1 (GENHD1) study of the investigational antisense drug tominersen provided insights about Huntington's disease staging and informed future clinical trials.

An ad hoc analysis showed that at week 69, the mean change from baseline on one of the primary efficacy end points was significantly worse in the every-8-week tominersen group compared with placebo, reported Sarah Tabrizi, MD, PhD, of University College London in England.

"While the study was halted early when it became apparent that participants in the high dose group were doing worse than placebo on clinical measures, post hoc analysis indicated that a small subset of younger participants with less disease burden and receiving the drug less frequently had a positive exposure response against clinical measures, indicating that perhaps the drug needs to be administered earlier in the disease course to younger patients to have a benefit," Tabrizi pointed out. Click here to learn more.

Protein study could one day advance Parkinson’s, breast cancer care

Innovative research from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) could potentially revolutionize the way Parkinson’s disease and breast cancer are treated. The research, published in the journal Molecular Cell, revolves around the modification of the protein ubiquitin during bacterial infection and its implications for these diseases.

The study brings to light the creation of lysine 6 polyubiquitin, a form of ubiquitin that plays a crucial role in cell communication. This form of ubiquitin is poorly understood, yet it has been linked to both Parkinson’s disease and breast cancer. The study provides a deeper understanding of how different enzymes from disease-causing bacteria manipulate lysine 6 polyubiquitin during infection. Click here to learn more.

Gene variant linked to new forms of early-onset dystonia, Parkinsonism

Scientists from Centogene, a company focused on rare and neurodegenerative diseases, along with their collaborators at University College London have published a study that links the Acyl-CoA Binding Domain Containing 6 (ACBD6) gene to new forms of early-onset dystonia and parkinsonism. According to project lead Reza Maroofian, PhD, the study “reinforces the value of collaboration between research labs and accredited diagnostic laboratories, like Centogene, in finding precise molecular diagnosis for families affected by undiagnosed ultra-rare disorders.” Click here to learn more.