Written by Karen Kovacs Dydzuhn Friday, 21 September 2012 10:30

Although people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease face many physical challenges, this oft debilitating illness cannot rob its victims of the joy of dancing. Moreover, when patients engage in creative movements set to music on a regular basis, there are inevitably great improvements to their overall physicality and brain functions.

Recent research has shown a strong correlation between dancing and short- and long- improvements in the range of motion, gait, balance, hand movements and rigidity in facial muscles for those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, said Dr. J. Antonelle de Marcaida of Eastern Connecticut Neurology Specialists.

Marcaida led a discussion about the relationship between dance and Parkinson's disease during the Mark Morris Dance Group's Dance for PD program at Fairfield University.

Led by David Leventhal of the Mark Morris Dance Group, more than 50 individuals with Parkinson's and their care partners participated in two dance sessions at Fairfield's Quick Center for the Arts. A company dancer for 14 years, Leventhal is pleased to devote himself full time to this program since his retirement last year. Since 2011, Dance for PD classes have been held in the United States and abroad.

"The dancers in the class are so eager to learn, so open and so courageous to the way they approach the movements," Leventhal explained.

After the Mark Morris Dance Group performed to an enthusiastic crowd at the Quick Center Saturday, the company's founder, Mark Morris, answered questions from the audience. About Dance for PD, Morris said those with Parkinson's disease do not leave the dance class feeling the way they did when they first walked in the doors of the Brooklyn studio.

"It's a 'fix' in that they want more of it," Morris said.

Accompanied by a pianist playing an eclectic mix of music show tunes, standards and classical participants begin the class in a seated position. Leventhal said that if they chose, they could experience the entire class in the chair.

"This is a dance class and we are here to have fun," he said. "And, you know your bodies best. So, if something doesn't feel right, don't do it, or modify it."

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Dancing through Parkinson's

CAMARILLO

Parkinson's disease lecture to be offered

A presentation on Parkinson's disease will provide individuals with information about current opportunities for clinical trials in Ventura County. This free presentation will be offered Tuesday 1-3 p.m. at the Camarillo Health Care District, 3639 E. Las Posas Road.

A question and answer period will follow the lecture.

For more information or to register, call 388-1952, ext. 100.

Speaker to discuss family harmony

Caroline Prijatel-Sutton will speak at the Soroptimist International of Camarillo meeting from 7:30-8:30 a.m. Thursday at Ric's Restaurant, 2500 Las Posas Road.

Prijatel-Sutton is the executive director of the Coalition of Family Harmony.

The nonprofit provides direct services to victims of domestic violence, helps prevent the cycle of violence and sexual assault and educates the community on violence against women, children and men.

For information on the coalition, visit http://www.thecoalition.org. For more information, visit http://www.soroptimistcamarillo.org. Breakfast is $15. Call 987-4053 to make a reservation.

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West county community briefs: Parkinson's disease lecture to be offered

SEATTLE, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Laughter and joy are classroom staples at a popular dance class that combines live music and dance instruction from world-class professional dancers. Dance for Parkinson's inspires those living with Parkinson's disease (PD) to explore the benefits of dance and movement with others who share some of the challenging symptoms of the disease.

Dance for Parkinson's was initiated in the Northwest by Seattle Theatre Group in partnership with EvergreenHealth and Spectrum Dance Theater, later expanding to include Northwest Parkinson's Foundation and Des Moines Senior Center. Classes are offered in Kirkland (Peter Kirk Community Center), Seattle (Garfield Community Center) and Des Moines (Des Moines Senior Center).

EvergreenHealth is one of the first healthcare organizations in the nation to provide this program, hosting a quarterly series of classes each year since 2009.

Classes are free of charge, are led by professional dancers, and engage students in dance styles such as ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap and world dance to address PD-specific concerns such as balance, flexibility, coordination, isolation and depression. No dance experience is required, and the fun, uplifting classes are a welcome respite from the stress of Parkinson's on participants and caregivers.

"The ability to help Parkinson's patients reclaim independent movement through creative dance is effective therapy not just physically, but emotionally," said Dr. Juan Aragon, Director of Medical Specialties and Medical Staff at EvergreenHealth. "Dancers leave the class glowing and truly inspired, which is beautiful to see in our patients."

A new 8-week fall season will kick-off with a special visit from David Leventhal, former principal dancer for Mark Morris Dance Group from 1997-2011 and Program Manager for Dance for PD in New York City.

Dance for PD was born of collaboration between Mark Morris Dance Group and Brooklyn Parkinson's Group Executive Director Olie Westheimer in 2001, with global expansion taking off in 2005. Today, classes are held across the United States and the world, including Tel Aviv and Auckland. A Seattle native, Mark Morris is the Artistic Director of the internationally renowned Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, New York.

"Although participants from all over the world tell us they find elements of the class therapeutic, the primary goal of our program is for people to enjoy dance for dancing's sake in a group settingand to explore the range of physical and creative possibilities that are still very much open to them," said David Leventhal.

Leventhal is visiting Seattle to host a seminar for health professionals, physical therapists, social workers, senior program professionals and any member of the public who is interested in learning more about the unique approach of this community arts and health program. The seminar will be held at Garfield Community Center on Oct. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and will incorporate a live class to demonstrate the benefits of the program for participants.

"We're so pleased to see the Mark Morris Dance Group's initial partnership with Seattle Theatre Group, EvergreenHealth and Spectrum Dance Theater blossom into such a strong, high-quality program with multiple sites reaching multiple districts in the Seattle area," said Leventhal. "The success of the Seattle program shows just how effective arts and health programs can be when organizations that share an innovative vision work together collaboratively."

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Dance for Parkinson's kicks off its fourth year with visit from Mark Morris Dance Group

Editor's Choice Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Article Date: 21 Sep 2012 - 0:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Parkinson's Patients Benefit From Walking To The Beat

4 (3 votes)

Parkinson's Disease is a brain disorder characterized by tremors and difficulty walking. Eventually stiffness becomes prominent, muscles become weaker, and posture is affected. Many studies have recommended certain rehabilitation paths, acupuncture being one of them..

In a new study published in PLOS One, findings suggest further studies should be completed to investigate visual, auditory, and tactile signals and their role in rehabilitation.

A team of collaborators led by Ervin Sejdic, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Pittsburgh studied the effects of a mechanically produced beat using different stimuli, on 15 healthy adults ages 18 to 30. Participants took part in two separate sessions of five 15-minute trials in which they walked with different cues.

During the first session, participants walked at their own pace. Then, in later trials, the patients walked to a metronomic beat made by either visuals, touch or sound. Lastly, they walked with all three signals simultaneously with the pace that was set by the first trial.

Sejdic commented:

Regarding Parkinson's Disease, there is a big question whether researchers can become better informed about changes that come with this deterioration. This study suggests visual signals could be considered as a substitute approach in rehabilitation and need to be explored additionally in the laboratory.

Sejdic explains that a large limitation to their studies is the confinement of the laboratory. With Parkinson's Disease, patients can complete a walking test easily, and shortly thereafter, fall down in an outside environment. A real-life space will need to be created to account for sidewalks, streetlights, and noises such as cars honking, in order to obtain a more accurate gait measure (manner of walking).

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Parkinson's Patients Benefit From Walking To The Beat

Wikimedia Commons Photo. Photo by Grcommons

GRAND RAPIDS Van Andel Institute hosted a scientific symposium Sept. 19-20 that gathered some of the worlds most noted experts in Parkinsons disease and reinforced the regions growing reputation in the field of Parkinsons research.

Grand Challenges in Parkinsons Disease features experts from a dozen nations including Australia, Malaysia and Sweden. The purpose of the event was to showcase the latest research in the field and to honor Andrew B. Singleton, of the National Institutes of Health with the first Jay Van Andel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Parkinsons Disease Research.

This is truly a gathering of some of the worlds greatest minds in Parkinsons disease research, said chief event organizer PatrikBrundin, M.D., chair of the Jay Van Andel Translational Parkinsons Disease Research Laboratory and Director of Van Andel Institutes Center for Neurodegenerative Science.

The event featured keynote addresses by noted Parkinsons experts Ted Dawson, M.D., of The Johns Hopkins University, who spoke on the topic of Looking Forward to Tomorrows Therapies for Parkinsons Disease, and Roger Barker, Ph.D., of University of Cambridge, who spoke on Matching Therapies to Patients: The Complexities of Disease Heterogeneity in Parkinsons Disease.

Dr. Andrew Singleton is best known for his work aimed at understanding the genetic causes of Parkinsons disease work that is opening entire new fields of research.

His first well-known work described the discovery of a duplication and triplicationof the alpha-synucleingene that causes a severe, early-onset form of Parkinsons disease. Scientists already knew that a few extremely rare mutant forms of the protein were bad, but Singleton showed that too much of the normal protein also has ramifications.

One year later he led the group that was the first to identify mutations in the LRRK2 gene as a cause of familial Parkinsons disease. Occasionally new mutations arise in this gene, which can explain some of the cases of the more common, sporadic Parkinsons disease.

For more information, please visit http://www.vai.org

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Van Andel Showcases Latest Parkinson’s Research

GRAND RAPIDS, MI A National Institutes of Health researcher who has uncovered genetic causes of Parkinsons disease today became the first to receive an honor named after Amway co-founder Jay Van Andel.

Dr. Andrew Singleton was honored with the Jay Van Andel Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Parkinsons Disease Research during a research symposium at Van Andel Institute.

Jay Van Andel, who died of the effects of Parkinsons in 2004, would have been pleased with the first recipient of the award named after him, said his son, David Van Andel, VAI chairman and chief executive officer.

Dr. Andrew Singleton is the type of scientist he would have envisioned honoring bold, pioneering and working to make a difference in human lives, David Van Andel said.

Singletons accomplishments include the discovery of a duplication and triplication of a gene that causes a severe, early-onset form of Parkinsons.

Scientists already knew that a few extremely rare mutant forms of the protein were bad, but Dr. Singleton showed us that too much of the normal protein also has ramifications, Van Andel said.

Singleton also led a group of researchers that identified mutations in a gene as a cause of familial Parkinsons disease.

His discoveries opened new fields of Parkinsons research, Van Andel said. Singletons lab has research programs investigating genetic diversity and the consequences of genetic alterations.

VAI today began a two-day symposium bringing together experts in Parkinsons disease research to showcase the latest developments.

This is truly a gathering of some of the worlds greatest minds in Parkinsons disease research, said Dr. Patrik Brundin, the chair of the Jay Van Andel Translational Parkinsons Disease Research Laboratory. The research shared at the conference will become the building blocks for therapies that may be commonplace a decade from now.

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Parkinson's researcher at NIH is first honored with award named for Jay Van Andel

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Van Andel Institute (VAI) hosts a scientific symposium September 19-20 that gathers some of the world's most noted experts in Parkinson's disease and reinforces the region's growing reputation in the field of Parkinson's research.

Grand Challenges in Parkinson's Disease features experts from a dozen nations including Australia, Malaysia and Sweden. The purpose of the event is to showcase the latest research in the field and to honor Andrew B. Singleton, Ph.D., of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with the first Jay Van Andel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Parkinson's Disease Research.

"This is truly a gathering of some of the world's greatest minds in Parkinson's disease research," said chief event organizer Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Jay Van Andel Translational Parkinson's Disease Research Laboratory and Director of Van Andel Institute's Center for Neurodegenerative Science. "We will be sharing the results of recent and ongoing research that will become the building blocks for therapies that may be commonplace a decade from now."

The event features keynote addresses by noted Parkinson's experts Ted Dawson, M.D., Ph.D., of The Johns Hopkins University, who will speak on the topic of Looking Forward to Tomorrow's Therapies for Parkinson's Disease, and Roger Barker, Ph.D., of University of Cambridge, who will speak on Matching Therapies to Patients: The Complexities of Disease Heterogeneity in Parkinson's Disease.

Dr. Andrew Singleton is best known for his work aimed at understanding the genetic causes of Parkinson's disease work that is opening entire new fields of research.

His first well-known work described the discovery of a duplication and triplication of the alpha-synuclein gene that causes a severe, early-onset form of Parkinson's disease. Scientists already knew that a few extremely rare mutant forms of the protein were bad, but Dr. Singleton showed that too much of the normal protein also has ramifications.

One year later he led the group that was the first to identify mutations in the LRRK2 gene as a cause of familial Parkinson's disease. Occasionally new mutations arise in this gene, which can explain some of the cases of the more common, sporadic Parkinson's disease.

For more information, please visit http://www.vai.org

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Van Andel Institute Research Symposium Showcases Latest Developments In Parkinson's Research

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Also Included In: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Article Date: 20 Sep 2012 - 11:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Acupuncture May Benefit Parkinson's Patients

4.75 (4 votes)

The scientists explained that several studies had shown that acupuncture treatment relieved symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease in human and animal subjects. Some studies using fMRI had found that neural responses in extensive brain regions were much lower among Parkinson's patients compared to healthy individuals. Brain areas particularly affected by Parkinson's include the thalamus, putamen, and the supplementary motor area.

Scientists have been carrying out more and more studies on the possible therapeutic benefits of acupuncture. An article published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) in September 2012 found that acupuncture may help in the treatment of chronic pain.

Yeo, S., Lim and team used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to measure what the specific effects of needling acupuncture point GB34 (Yanglinqquan) were on parts of the brain that are affected by Parkinson's Disease.

Certain brain centers become too inactive in people with Parkinson's disease. The authors explained that acupuncture seems to reactivate them.

The authors divided the participants into two groups:

Acupuncture reactivated neural activity in the basal ganglia, substiantia nigra, thalamus, putamen (not shown) and caudate (not shown).

The authors wrote:

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Acupuncture May Benefit Parkinson's Patients

Editor's Choice Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia Also Included In: Parkinson's Disease;Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Article Date: 13 Aug 2012 - 14:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Rejected Drug Could Protect Against Parkinson's And Alzheimer's

4.75 (4 votes)

Over 5 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease, an incurable, progressive neurodegenerative disease that is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, whilst around 1 million people in the U.S. suffer from Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder that leads to muscle stiffness, tremors and slowed movements and gait.

Latrepirdine was approved in Russia in 1983 as an antihistamine. However, in the 90s, researchers discovered that the drug seemed to be effective in the earliest animal models of Alzheimer's disease. A high- profile Phase II clinical trial in Russia demonstrated that latrepirdine showed a considerable and sustained improvement in cognitive behavior in Alzheimer's patients with minimal side effects. A panel of U.S. clinical experts oversaw the trial. The panel included Mary Sano, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. However, later tests of latripirdine in a U.S. Phase III trial failed to show any improvement in those affected by Alzheimer's, which prompted the sponsors to stop further clinical trials of the drug for Alzheimer's disease.

Prior to the failed trials Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology, and Psychiatry, and Director of the Mount Sinai Center for Cognitive Health and his team started investigating the way in which latrepirdine functions. Dr. Gandy declares:

Their new study entailed administering the drug to three different systems, including yeast, mice and mammal cells that all showed a build-up of alpha-synuclein, i.e. a protein that is known to cause neurodegeneration.

They discovered determined that latrepiridine activated autophagy in all three systems, the "self-eating" process of cells that protects the brain from neurodegeneration, which targeted synuclein and protected against its toxicity. They discovered that the drug decreased the amount of synuclein accumulated in the brain of mice through autophagy.

This is the second study published in Molecular Psychiatry by Dr. Gandy's team. Their first study, which appeared in the July 31 issue, revealed that a mice study showed that latrepiridine stopped the toxicity of amyloid-beta protein accumulation by inducing autophagy in animals with Alzheimer's disease. The study entailed randomly administrating latrepirdine or placebo to mice with early stages of Alzheimer's disease, revealed that the drug improved memory through autophagy.

To his surprise, Dr. Petsko, an expert in protein structure, Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College, observed that latrepirdine protects yeast cells from the toxicity of alpha-synuclein and leaves the cells vulnerable so that they can be killed by either the Huntington's disease protein or by either of the two key proteins responsible for ALS-FTD. ALS-FTD is a range of diseases, including Lou Gehrig's disease and frontotemporal dementia.

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Rejected Drug Could Protect Against Parkinson's And Alzheimer's

Public release date: 13-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mount Sinai Press Office newsmedia@mssm.edu 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine

The second of two studies on latrepirdine, recently published in Molecular Psychiatry, demonstrates new potential for the compound in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, sleep disorders, and other neurodegenerative conditions. An international team led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine scientists found that latrepiridine, known commercially as Dimebon, reduced the level of at least two neurodegeneration-related proteins in mice.

Latrepirdine was initially sold as an antihistamine in Russia, following its approval for use there in 1983. In the 1990s, the compound appeared effective in treating some of the earliest animal models of Alzheimer's disease. In a high profile Phase II clinical trial in Russia, overseen by a panel of top U.S. clinical trial experts, including Mount Sinai's Mary Sano, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, latrepirdine showed significant and sustained improvement in cognitive behavior in Alzheimer's patients with minimal side effects. However, when the drug was tested in the U.S. in a Phase III trial, it did not demonstrate any improvement in people with the disease, causing the sponsors to halt further clinical study of the drug in Alzheimer's disease.

Before the failed trials however, Mount Sinai researchers led by Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology, and Psychiatry, and Director of the Mount Sinai Center for Cognitive Health, began studying how latrepirdine worked.

"Despite the failure to replicate the positive Russian trial results in U.S. patients, we found unexpected evidence that latrepirdine had potential as a treatment for a number of neurodegenerative disorders," said Dr. Gandy. "Our study shows that the compound prevents neurodegeneration in multiple ways and should remain a contender for battling these devastating diseases. The anti-amyloid approach most recently exemplified by reports that a second bapineuzumab trial has failed might only help patients if begun before the brain pathology begins to build up."

In the new study, the researchers administered the drug to three different systems: yeast, mice and mammal cells all showing build-up of alpha-synuclein, a protein known to cause neurodegeneration. In all three systems, they determined that latrepiridine activated autophagy, the so-called "self-eating" process of cells that protects the brain from neurodegeneration, which targeted synuclein and protected against its toxicity. In mice, the drug reduced the amount of synuclein accumulated in the brain through autophagy.

John Steele, PhD, a Mount Sinai neuroscience graduate student, devoted his PhD thesis to these studies. Lenard Lachenmayer, MD, a postdoctoral fellow working under the supervision of Zhenyu Yue, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology at Mount Sinai, shares first authorship of the new paper with Steele and with Shulin Ju, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Brandeis University working under the direction of Greg Petsko, PhD, and Dagmar Ringe, PhD, both professors of biochemistry, chemistry and neuroscience at Brandeis.

This study is the second of two published by Dr. Gandy's team in Molecular Psychiatry. The first, published July 31, 2012, determined that latrepiridine stopped the toxicity of amyloid-beta protein accumulation in mice present with Alzheimer's disease by inducing autophagy. In that study, they randomly administered either latrepirdine or placebo to mice engineered to have the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and found that, through autophagy, the drug improved memory.

Dr. Petsko, an expert in protein structure who is now Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College, noted that, surprisingly, latrepirdine protects yeast cells from the toxicity of alpha-synuclein while leaving the cells vulnerable to killing by either the Huntington's disease protein or by either of the two key proteins responsible for ALS-FTD, a spectrum of diseases that includes both Lou Gehrig's disease and frontotemporal dementia.

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Rejected drug may protect against toxic substance common to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6lkdr4/global) has announced the addition of the "Global Parkinson's Disease Drug Pipeline Capsule - 2012 Update" report to their offering.

Fore Pharma's latest report 'Global Parkinson's Disease Drug Pipeline Capsule - 2012 Update' provides most up-to-date information on key Research and Development activities (R&D) in the global Parkinson's Disease market. It covers active Parkinson's Disease pipeline molecules in various stages of clinical trials, preclinical research, and drug discovery.

This report helps executives track competitors pipeline molecules. The information presented in this report can be used for identifying partners, evaluating opportunities, formulating business development strategies, executing in-licensing and out-licensing deals.

The report provides information on pipeline molecules by company and mechanism of action across the R&D stages. It also provides information on pipeline molecules developed in leading geographies (North America and Europe). Licensing activities are thoroughly captured in this report.

Key Features of the Report:

- Parkinson's Disease: Overview

- Parkinson's Disease Pipeline Overview

- Parkinson's Disease Phase 3 Clinical Trial Pipeline Insights

- Parkinson's Disease Phase 2 Clinical Trial Pipeline Insights

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Research and Markets: Global Parkinson's Disease Drug Pipeline Capsule - 2012 Update

Parkinsons Disease and Restless Legs Syndrome Drug Under Review for Heart Failure Risk

Sept. 19, 2012 -- The FDA is investigating a possible risk of heart failure linked to Mirapex, a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome.

Officials say recent studies suggest a potential raised risk of heart failure with the use of Mirapex, but further review of research is needed.

The FDAs safety alert stops short of an official warning announcement for the drug. The agency has not concluded that Mirapex raises the risk of heart failure.

Instead, the FDA says it is working with Mirapexs manufacturer to clarify the risk of heart failure and will update the public when more information is available.

Meanwhile, officials say people taking Mirapex should continue to take the drug as prescribed and contact their health care provider with any questions or concerns.

The alert comes after the FDA pooled results from clinical trials, and analysis suggests heart failure was more common among people taking Mirapex than those taking a placebo.

They also evaluated two population studies that suggested a higher risk of new cases of heart failure among Mirapex users. However, officials say limitations of the studies make it difficult for them to determine whether the risk was related to Mirapex or other factors.

The FDA is continuing to review safety data on Mirapex.

Officials recommend people taking the drug contact a health care professional if they experience any symptoms of heart failure while taking Mirapex, such as:

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Parkinson's Drug Mirapex Under Safety Review

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -08/14/12)- This year more furry friends will join the 14,000 Canadians who champion Parkinson SuperWalk. Pets are demonstrating their support for Parkinson SuperWalk through a new online contest, Pets for Parkinson's, launched this week by Parkinson Society Canada.

A first for Parkinson SuperWalk, Pets for Parkinson's challenges Canadians to show support for the walk by submitting photos of their pets demonstrating their enthusiasm for the cause to help raise awareness of Parkinson's disease. Winners will be selected weekly between now and September 10th and awarded a $100.00 PetSmart gift card. Friends and family will also have the chance to participate and vote online for their favourite Parkinson's Pet who will be awarded the grand prize of a $250.00 gift card to PetSmart.

"For many people, pets are an integral member of the family, and every year we have a large number of canine companions who attend Parkinson SuperWalk to show their support. We think this is a great way to have some fun and get more pets (and their families) involved in the cause," says Joyce Gordon, Parkinson Society Canada President and CEO.

Visit http://bit.ly/NvtDnM to see some of Canada's pets with personality gearing up for Parkinson's SuperWalk and to enter the weekly prize draw online. Please see contest terms and conditions for more information.

About Parkinson SuperWalk

Parkinson Society Canada's 22nd annual Parkinson SuperWalk is less than a month away! On September 8th-9th, 14,000 volunteers and participants in 95 communities across Canada will walk together with a goal to raise $3 million nation-wide. Parkinson SuperWalk is Parkinson Society Canada's largest fundraising event and since its inaugural walk in 1990 led by a small group of committed volunteers, the nation-wide event has raised more than $25 million for education, support services, research, and advocacy on behalf of Canadians living with Parkinson's. Register online at http://www.parkinsonsuperwalk.ca.

About Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 people living with Parkinson's disease across the country(i). Canadians are encouraged to get involved in their community.

To register, donate, or find a walk, visit http://www.parkinsonsuperwalk.ca. Follow Parkinson SuperWalk on Facebook or on Twitter.

For more about Parkinson's disease and Parkinson Society Canada, and where to find support in your community, visit http://www.parkinson.ca or call 1-800-565-3000.

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Does Your Dog have What it Takes to Be Parkinson's Top Dog?

Parkinsons disease may prove to be no match for a team of UH researchers at the Center of Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling.

CNRCS Director Jan-ke Gustafsson and professor Margaret Warner, along with their team of researchers, have found a link between beta-sitosterol present in many plants and good for preventing cholesterol absorption from ones diet and ALS-Parkinsons disease. This discovery may aid in the fight against Parkinsons and was recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Parkinsons disease is a chronic progressive neurological disease linked to a decrease in dopamine, production in the substantia nigra and marked by tremors in resting muscles, rigidity, slowness of movement, impaired balance and a shuffling gait.

If ALS-Parkinsons patients do have a defect in LXRbeta signaling, they will benefit from pharmaceuticals which target signaling of this receptor. Many such drugs are being developed at present, Warner said.

Authors Yubing Dai and Wanfu Wu researching in the CNRCS lab. | Amanda Hilow/The Daily Cougar

Gustafsson has had a long-standing interest in nuclear receptors because they are activated by the small molecules like hormones, and medication can be developed to increase or decrease their activity. In 1995, Gustafssons lab discovered two novel nuclear receptors one was LXRbeta. An efficient way to unmask the function of the newly discovered genes is to use gene technology to eliminate the hormone in mice and see what happens.

The receptor continues to show promise as a potential therapeutic target for this disease, as well as other neurological disorders, Gustafsson said in a press release for HealthNewsDigest.com. LXRbeta performs an important function in the development of the central nervous system, and our work indicates that the presence of LXRbeta promotes the survival of dopaminergic neurons, which are the main source of dopamine in the central nervous system.

During World War II, ALS-Parkinsons disease was prevalent in the Pacific Islands and Guam where there was a shortage of wheat. During that time, people had to make bread from cycad seeds, which contain a high level of beta-sitosterol.

The reason for the susceptibility of certain people in Guam to toxicity from beta-sitosterol remained a mystery until we developed the LXRbeta knockout mice, Warner said. These mice develop ALS-Parkinsons disease spontaneously as they age, and the disease is made worse if beta-sitosterol is added to their diet.

However, it was discovered that LXRbeta knockout mice did not need to be fed beta-sitosterol to develop Parkinsons disease. Meaning UH researchers have to look for the possibility that people develop ALS- Parkinsons disease because of defective LXRbeta signaling.

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Researchers battle Parkinson’s disease using mouse model

University of Rochester neurologists as well as families touched by Parkinsons disease will be hitting the pavement this weekend to raise awareness and funds to help fight the disease.

The local Moving Day celebration, which includes a walk and other activities aimed at Parkinsons disease, is this Sunday, Sept. 16, on the grounds of Monroe Community College. While the actual walk begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at noon, registration opens at 8:30 a.m. In addition to the walk, several events revolving around movement a key difficulty for patients with the disease will be held throughout the morning, including dance, yoga, Tai Chi, vocal and other physical exercises.

Moving Day is sponsored by the National Parkinson Foundation, which works to improve the quality of life for people with the disease through research, education and outreach. The goal of the Rochester Chapter of NPF this year is $65,000; so far the group has raised $26,000, already more than the total achieved last year. Funds will go to support the National Parkinson Foundation and its Rochester chapter, as well as Parkinsons research at the Medical Center.

Vicki Aspridy, registrar at the Simon School, is a member of the local chapter and part of the planning committee for the event. She is helping to organize Moving Day in honor of her mother, who had the disease late in life and passed away four years ago. A University team is being organized by neurologist Michelle Burack, M.D., Ph.D., who treats patients with the disease and also does research aimed at understanding and reducing the symptoms that patients experience.

For more information, visit http://MovingDayRochester.org.

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Moving Day to benefit National Parkinson Foundation held Sunday at MCC

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The market for effective new treatments for Parkinsons disease and other degenerative neurological disorders is strong and projected to grow sharply in coming years. Thats good news for Rainbow Coral Corp.s (RBCC) biotech subsidiary, Rainbow Biosciences, as it closes in on a deal with Amarantus Biosciences, Inc. (AMBS)

The increasing market potential for Parkinsons therapies is what initially attracted RBCCs attention to Amarantus work. The Parkinson's Disease Foundation estimates that as many as one million Americans suffer from Parkinson's disease, and 60,000 new patients are diagnosed each year. Medication costs per person are believed to be around $2,500 each year and the total economic impact is estimated to be around $25 billion in the U.S. alone.

Most encouraging of all, the market for Parkinsons drugs could grow to a value of $3.75 billion by 2015, according to a report last year by Visiongain.

Growth in the Parkinson's treatment market is being driven by new breakthroughs, and RBCC is working to help advance the timeline for a cure for the debilitating disease. RBCC is currently negotiating a potential definitive agreement with Amarantus, a company that could be on the verge of promising new diagnostic and therapeutic tools for Parkinsons patients and their doctors.

Amarantus owns the rights to a promising therapeutic protein known as MANF that prevents a type of cell death called apoptosis that could be the beginning of a cure for the disease. The company also owns the license to a groundbreaking diagnostic platform called NuroPro for Parkinsons that allows neurologists to accurately diagnose and track the progression of Parkinsons disease in patients. This groundbreaking test could potentially be on market in certain regions as early as 2013.

For more information on RBCCs biotechnology initiatives, please visit http://www.rainbowbiosciences.com/investors.html.

About Rainbow BioSciences

Rainbow BioSciences, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rainbow Coral Corp. (OTCBB:RBCC). The company continually seeks out new partnerships with biotechnology developers to deliver profitable new medical technologies and innovations. For more information on our growth-oriented business initiatives, please visit our website at [www.RainbowBioSciences.com]. For investment information and performance data on the company, please visit http://www.RainbowBioSciences.com/investors.html.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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Projected Growth in $3 Billion Parkinson’s Treatment Market Gives RBCC a Bright Outlook

PARKINSONS & MEMORY: In addition to the motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, there are also cognitive symptoms which may be evident even in the early stages of the disease. These may include deficits in executive function (especially planning and attention), set-shifting (ability to alternate between two or more tasks), and memory. Approximately 25%-30% of Parkinson's patients develop dementia. It is not yet known whether dementia is actually a symptom of Parkinson's disease or whether patients with Parkinson's disease are for some reason also at higher risk for dementia. A large number of Parkinson's patients also experience psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, or sleep disorders.

Because Parkinson's disease damages neurons in the substantia nigra which produce dopamine, treatment usually involves drugs which work to counteract this shortage of dopamine. Parkinson's patients may benefit from treatment with several kinds of drugs simultaneously. These drugs can often combat the motor symptoms for a long time, but as the disease progresses and the substantia nigra continues to degrade, the drugs eventually become less effective.

Some patients whose motor symptoms cannot be controlled by medication undergo brain surgery to destroy portions of the brain regions responsible for some of the motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, or benefit from deep brain stimulation (DBS) -- using thin wires to stimulate electrical activity in the brain. There has also been controversial research involving implantation of cells from aborted fetuses into the brains of Parkinson's patients in an attempt to regrow neurons in the substantia nigra; more recently, scientists are exploring the possibility of using stem cells isolated from healthy adults or grown in the laboratory. As yet, this work is still highly experimental. (Source: Memorylossonline.com)

UNIVERSITY OF MARLYAND STUDY: Researchers are looking to study the benefits of exercise for fitness, walking, balance, and memory. They are still enrolling participants, and those eligible for the study are people who have been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and have mild to moderate gait or balance difficulty. The study is being conducted at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Brain Games Help Parkinson’s Patients

Tom and Carol Reid, of Plum, have been living with Parkinsons disease for 17 years, but its how they are helping others with the disorder that has earned them a big honor.

They will be awarded with the Local Hero award Saturday from the Davis Phinney Foundation.

Carol Reid remembers when she started noticing a change in her husband.

He was losing facial expression. I didn't know what that meant. I just felt like you know, you're not responding to me, she said. He was drooling. His eyes were watering. He was falling often.

Tom Reid went to the family doctor and was given Claritin for his watery eyes.

It took two years to get a second opinion and a diagnosis of Parkinsons, a neurodegenerative disease.

I was in a classical case of denial, said Tom.

Symptoms involve loss of motor control, affecting speech and movement.

Tom was a captain in the Army before becoming a corporate attorney. He enjoyed public speaking and using what he and his wife called his command voice.

Parkinsons has changed that.

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Pittsburgh-area couple awarded for work with Parkinson's disease patients

Researchers have shown that people with Parkinson's disease performed markedly better on a test of working memory after a night's sleep, and sleep disorders can interfere with that benefit.

While the classic symptoms of Parkinson's disease include tremors and slow movements, Parkinson's can also affect someone's memory, including "working memory."

Working memory is defined as the ability to temporarily store and manipulate information, rather than simply repeat it. The use of working memory is important in planning, problem solving and independent living.

The findings underline the importance of addressing sleep disorders in the care of patients with Parkinson's, and indicate that working memory capacity in patients with Parkinson's potentially can be improved with training. The results also have implications for the biology of sleep and memory.

"It was known already that sleep is beneficial for memory, but here, we've been able to analyze what aspects of sleep are required for the improvements in working memory performance," said postdoctoral fellow Michael Scullin, who is the first author of the paper.

The performance boost from sleep was linked with the amount of slow wave sleep, or the deepest stage of sleep. Several research groups have reported that slow wave sleep is important for synaptic plasticity, the ability of brain cells to reorganize and make new connections.

Sleep apnea, the disruption of sleep caused by obstruction of the airway, interfered with sleep's effects on memory. Study participants who showed signs of sleep apnea, if it was severe enough to lower their blood oxygen levels for more than five minutes, did not see a working memory test boost.

54 study participants had Parkinson's disease, and 10 had dementia with Lewy bodies: a more advanced condition, where patients may have hallucinations or fluctuating cognition as well as motor symptoms. Those who had dementia with Lewy bodies saw no working memory boost from the night's rest. As expected, their baseline level of performance was lower than the Parkinson's group.

Participants with Parkinson's who were taking dopamine-enhancing medications saw their performance on the digit span test jump up between the fourth and fifth test. On average, they could remember one more number backwards. The ability to repeat numbers backward improved, even though the ability to repeat numbers forward did not.

Patients needed to be taking dopamine-enhancing medications to see the most performance benefit from sleep. Patients not taking dopamine medications, even though they had generally had Parkinson's for less time, did not experience as much of a performance benefit. This may reflect a role for dopamine, an important neurotransmitter, in memory.

Link:
Sleep improves memory in Parkinson's patients

PHILADELPHIA Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine will receive $11.9 million over the next five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) for the Penn Udall Center for Parkinsons Disease (PD) research. This grant is a renewal of an NINDS funded PD center that successfully completed its research program over the last five years.

Parkinsons is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, second only to Alzheimer's disease in the number of people affected. Estimates suggest that approximately 1,000,000 Americans have PD.

Cognitive impairment, executive dysfunction and dementia add to the burden of PD and increase mortality, but the underlying basis of dementia in PD is unclear. There are no effective disease modifying therapies. Despite important research advances, the exact causes of PD, Parkinsons with dementia (PDD), and dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) are unknown. To address this, a NINDS Morris K. Udall Parkinsons Disease Research Center of Excellence was launched at Penn in 2007.

This renewal for years six through ten of the Penn Udall Center builds on recent progress advancing researchers understanding of the progression of PDD from normal cognition to cognitive impairment, executive dysfunction and dementia in PDD, and disease progression in DLB, in addition to central nervous system degeneration mediated by progressive accumulations of pathological alpha-synuclein.

Recent Penn Udall Center studies raise the provocative, but highly plausible possibility that the progression of PD/PDD/DLB is linked to the cell-to-cell spread of pathological alpha-synuclein. Therefore, the overarching goals of the Penn Udall Center are to explore mechanisms of disease progression and alpha-synuclein transmission through collaborations between basic and translational research projects that work with each of the cores to implement the mission of the Penn Udall Center in the renewal period.

"The Penn Udall Center will elucidate mechanisms of cognitive impairment, executive dysfunction and dementia in Parkinsons Disease as well as mechanisms of neurodegeneration that are mediated by the transmission of alpha-synuclein pathologies, said Center Director John Trojanowski, MD, PhD, director of Penn's Institute on Aging and professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine. By using new approaches and model systems to achieve its goals, the Penn Udall Center will investigate novel disease mechanisms in Parkinsons and advance efforts to develop new interventions and better diagnostics for this disorder.

The Penn Udall Center is based on 20 years of basic research on neurodegenerative diseases within the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research and clinical programs at the Parkinsons Disease and Movement Disorders Center, both within Penn Medicine.

The Udall Centers of Excellence were developed in honor of former Congressman Morris K. Udall, who died in 1998 after a long battle with Parkinsons disease. The first center was named in 1997.

The Udall Center renewal grant (P50 NS053488) will include four core groups focusing on clinical care: neuropathology, biomarker and genetics; data management, biostatistics and bioinformatics; and administration. Planned projects will look for an immune therapy to block PD transmission in animal models, biomarkers to evaluate and predict cognitive decline in Lewy Body spectrum disorders, language and executive dysfunction in PD, and how transmission of alpha-synuclein occurs in neurons. The Penn Udall Center team includes John Trojanowski, MD, PhD, Howard Hurtig, MD, Dan Weintraub, MD, Vivianna Van Deerlin, MD, PhD, Edward B. Lee, MD, PhD, Sharon Xie, PhD, Li-San Wang, PhD, Alice Chen-Plotkin, MD, Murray Grossman, MD, PhD, Rachel Gross, MD, Kelvin Luk, PhD, and Virginia M-Y Lee, PhD, MBA.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

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Perelman School of Medicine Granted $11.9 Million Renewal of NINDS Support for Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease ...