13-12-2011 22:03 This is another patient treated with Dr Omar Gonzalez method at Integra Medical Center
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Parkinson's disease patient at Integra Medical Center - Video
Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Disease – Video
07-12-2011 12:52 Learn more about clinical trials for treatment of Parkinson's with stem cells at Royal Medical Clinic in Henderson, Nevada. http://www.empowereddoctor.com
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Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Disease - Video
Werth Parkinson Centre, Daniella – Treatment – Video
04-08-2011 10:44 Parkinson Testimonial
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Werth Parkinson Centre, Daniella - Treatment - Video
Parkinson's Disease And My Experience – Video
05-09-2011 11:39 Information About Parkinson's Disease From A Parkinson's Disease Patient
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Parkinson's Disease And My Experience - Video
[2 Royal – Video
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[2 Royal
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[2 Royal - Video
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Ludzik won’t be bullied by Parkinson’s disease
Steve Ludzik woke up one day and realized he’d traveled this road before.
When I was in grade six, there was a kid who would wait for me after school and slap me around, Ludzik recalls. I was just a skinny, little kid, and one night I came home with a black eye after he beat me up.
In today’s America, there are protocols for handling bullies. In 1960s Canada, there was only one way to solve the problem.
My mom was an angel, and when she found out what was going on, she got right on the phone and said she would straighten it out, Ludzik said. My dad said, ‘Put that phone down!’
My dad told me that when I get out of school tomorrow, get the drop on this kid and hit him, and then keep hitting him.
Like all bullies, the guy was a coward. I grabbed him the next day and throttled him. I never had another problem, and that kid never bothered anyone after that.
That’s how we were raised. Take care of it yourself and don’t get pushed around.
The 51-year-old Ludzik had been thinking about that time in his life early this year. It was eating away at his conscience. He felt what he was doing was wrong.
I looked at my own kids and I knew what I had to do, Ludzik said by phone from Niagara Falls a couple of days ago. I said, ‘I’m not going to get kicked around by Parkinson’s disease.’ Not anymore.
That’s when Ludzik announced to the world that he was ill.
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Ludzik won't be bullied by Parkinson's disease
Fundraiser to find cure for disease
John Thatcher
Report by James Franklin , Reporter Saturday, September 8, 2012 1:00 PM
A MAN with Parkinsons disease has organised a day of truck-pulling, raffle prizes and musical entertainment to raise money for finding a cure for the illness.
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John Thatcher was diagnosed with the condition three years ago, and Saturdays event will provide vital funds for Movers and Shakers, the Cure Parkinsons charity devoted to finding a cure for the disease.
A truck-pull will kick off proceedings at 3pm at the Lighthouse Inn in Highbridge Road, Burnham and will continue at the Oaktree Arena off Bristol Road, Highbridge at 7.30pm.
The evening event will feature comedian Buster and performers Teri Roberts, Ping and I and Soul Rhymaz.
Civitas Therapeutics Initiates Phase 2a Clinical Study of CVT-301, an Inhaled L-dopa for Parkinson’s Disease
CHELSEA, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Civitas Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held pharmaceutical company developing transformative therapeutics using the ARCUS(TM) respiratory delivery platform, announced today the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial in Parkinsons disease patients evaluating CVT-301, an inhaled formulation of levodopa (L-dopa), for the rapid relief from motor fluctuations. CVT-301 provides immediate onset of a large and precise dose of L-dopa.
Consistent with our commitment to rapidly develop important new therapies for patients, we demonstrated pharmacokinetic proof-of-concept for CVT-301 in less than 12 months from launching Civitas and are now initiating this Phase 2a study in Parkinsons patients, said Dr. Martin Freed, Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of Civitas. Leveraging the ARCUS platform along with the 40 years of existing L-dopa clinical experience we hope to provide Parkinsons patients with a new therapy enabling improved management of their motor fluctuations.
The Phase 2a study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, single dose, cross-over design that will characterize the safety and tolerability of CVT-301 and evaluate pharmacodynamic effects and L-dopa pharmacokinetics in patients with Parkinsons disease with motor fluctuations (off episodes). This Phase 2a study is designed to establish the dose for future clinical trials with CVT-301. Patients will receive oral Sinemet, inhaled placebo and CVT-301 which will be followed by serial evaluations of L-dopa pharmacokinetics, motor response and safety at each visit. Twenty-four (24) patients will be enrolled.
This Phase 2a study of CVT-301 is funded in part by a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research.
About CVT-301
Civitas lead program, CVT-301, is an inhaled formulation of L-dopa for the immediate relief from debilitating motor fluctuations associated with Parkinsons disease. For symptomatic relief, oral L-dopa is administered to maintain dopamine levels in the brain above the therapeutic threshold; yet the efficacy of oral L-dopa is significantly compromised by delayed absorption and excessive variability in the circulating plasma drug concentrations inherent to the oral delivery route. CVT-301 is an ARCUS(TM) therapeutic that incorporates L-dopa and is optimized to deliver a precise dose to the deep lung for rapid and predictable L-dopa absorption. The ARCUS(TM) platform is uniquely able to deliver the necessary L-dopa dose with the required precision. CVT-301 is being developed as an adjunct to standard oral L-dopa therapy to enable patients to manage motor fluctuations caused in part by the inter-dose variability of oral L-dopa. In preclinical models, CVT-301 has demonstrated rapid, durable symptomatic relief, even when compared to larger doses of oral L-dopa.
The Phase 1 clinical study is complete, and pharmacokinetic proof-of-concept was demonstrated. Therapeutic plasma levels of L-dopa were achieved within five minutes of inhalation dosing with unprecedented precision. Dose proportional pharmacokinetics were seen across all doses tested. In addition, all doses tested of CVT-301 were safe and well tolerated.
About Parkinsons Disease
Over one million people in the US suffer from Parkinsons disease, a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the diminished production of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter, resulting in progressive impairment of motor function including tremors, rigidity and difficulty in moving. Even when treated with the current standard of care, the majority of Parkinsons patients continue to experience motor fluctuations. These motor fluctuations reduce patients ability to lead productive, independent lives and are recognized by patients, care givers and healthcare professionals as one of the most troubling and debilitating issues associated with the disease.
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Civitas Therapeutics Initiates Phase 2a Clinical Study of CVT-301, an Inhaled L-dopa for Parkinson’s Disease
Man shows how positive attitude allows him to survive Parkinson’s disease
(PR NewsChannel) / June 13, 2012 / NEWTON, Pa.
“Thumbs Up!: Staying Positive with Parkinson’s Disease” by Kevin M. Peyton
In Thumbs Up!: Staying Positive with Parkinsons Disease (ISBN 146377947X), Kevin M. Peyton gives an easy-to-read account of how his positive outlook has allowed him to live with Parkinsons disease for nearly 20 years. His account is not a celebrity memoir or a biography of a wealthy patient recording a litany of experimental treatments. Rather, it is the voice of a regular guy with an irregular disease who credits his longevity to staying optimistic, no matter what the circumstances.
Peyton hopes his book will inspire others with Parkinsons disease as well as those with other debilitating diseases. He believes it will help individuals who have loved ones affected by chronic diseases understand what they are experiencing. Despite being a book about hospitalization, tragic diagnoses and chronic pain management, Peytons upbeat attitude never falters. It is a rare book about illness that will leave readers with a smile on their faces and even a few laughs along the way.
The author doesnt have a medical license, a psychology degree, wealth or fame. What he does offer is some inspirational tips to overcoming what countless so-called experts have otherwise written off as a chronic, debilitating condition. Despite the many negative impacts the neurological illness has on his life, he does his best to focus on the positive every day. As he notes in his book, one of the philosophies he has learned in his life is a bit of wisdom he picked up from entertainer Michael J. Fox who also faces life with Parkinsons disease. Reportedly, the actor tells his children every day, Choose to have a great day, an adage that Peyton has worked into his daily life with his sons.
If you practice your faith, you always have hope. If you can identify the people that are inspirational to you, it will help you stay positive because you watch and learn from some of their experiences, says Peyton. Finally, if you can find a way to laugh, especially at yourself, then a great deal of stress is released.
Thumbs Up! is a moving book and guide to facing the adversity of illness with bravery and humor.
Thumbs Up!: Staying Positive with Parkinsons Disease is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.
About the Author: Kevin M. Peyton was educated at Catholic schools in Philadelphia and earned a bachelors in mathematics from the Catholic University of America. For years, he worked for Electronic Data Systems, a company once owned by former presidential candidate Ross Perot. The first-time author lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Annie and their two sons, Conor and Ryan.
MEDIA CONTACT Kevin M. Peyton E-mail: kevin.peyton@yahoo.com Phone: (267) 897-0424 Website: http://www.createspace.com/3660497
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Man shows how positive attitude allows him to survive Parkinson’s disease
Interest being gauged for Parkinson’s support group in Steamboat
Dr. Ralph Dittman
Steamboat Springs A part-time Steamboat Springs resident who has lived with Parkinsons disease for 14 years is seeking people who would be interested in participating in a support group.
What were doing is taking a head count to see how many people are interested, Dr. Ralph Dittman said. If they are interested, they need to raise their hands now.
Dittman, who splits his time between Steamboat and Houston, was a surgeon before Parkinsons came into his life at age 51.
The disease causes certain cells in the brain to become inactive, causing loss of motor functions and some neurologic functions. Notable Parkinsons sufferers include Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox.
The disease did not allow Dittman to be a surgeon anymore, so for the past eight years, he has been working in the laboratory and has become a renowned stem cell researcher and has published several novels.
Dittman thinks there are people in the community who could benefit greatly from a Parkinsons support group, especially those who take care of people suffering from the disease.
Theyre the people that take the real brunt of this thing, Dittman said. Theyre the ones that really need the help.
He said that to form the group, he needs to find at least 20 people who want to participate.
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Interest being gauged for Parkinson's support group in Steamboat
Wearable monitoring system for Parkinson's patients
PARIS European researchers said they are developing a wearable monitoring system that automatically regulates the delivery of medication to Parkinson's patients.
The EU-funded REMPARK (Personal Health Device for the Remote and Autonomous Management of Parkinsons Disease) project aims to develop a Personal Health System, featuring closed loop detection, with response and treatment capabilities, for the improved management of Parkinsons disease patients.
The REMPARK system is composed of two elements. The first element is a bracelet equipped with a sensor for measuring tremor in patients, and an inertial system worn at the waist on a belt made of biocompatible material. The second part, the size of a mobile phone, is equipped with sensors and can process and wirelessly transmit the data collected.
The next step will consist in including a central server where all the data from patients will be stored, processed and analyzed to assess how each patient is evolving. Researchers suggest it will support supervising medical teams in their decision process.
Led by CETpD, the research project gathers Teknon Medical Centre, Telefnica R&D, the European Parkinsons Disease Association, research centers and companies based in Germany, Portugal, Italy, Israel, Ireland, Sweden and Belgium.
The REMPARK project, which will run until 2015, has an overall budget of 4.73 million ($5.2 million).
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Wearable monitoring system for Parkinson's patients
Study finds coffee may calm Parkinson's disease
Drinking too much coffee can give the average Joe the jitters, but scientists say caffeine may have the opposite effect on people with Parkinson's disease.
The Canadian study found that drinking between two and four cups of coffee a day can help control tremors, opening the door to new treatment options for the progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects more than 10,000 Kiwis.
Symptoms can include tremors, stiffness of muscles, depression, disturbance of normal sleep, fatigue and lack of sense of smell.
Parkinson's New Zealand chief executive Deirdre O'Sullivan said she was excited by the research but expressed caution at the small scale of the study.
The effect of caffeine on the healthy human brain was widely known but she had not heard any research into its effects regarding Parkinson's, she said.
Coffee could also lead to negative effects, so she said it was probably not wise for those suffering from the disease to dramatically increase their intake until more research had been done.
The study was one of the first in humans to show that caffeine can help with movement impairment in people who had the disease, said study author Ronald Postuma, of McGill University in Montreal.
Previous studies have found that people who drink caffeine are less likely to develop Parkinson's.
Sixty-one sufferers - whose symptoms included daytime sleepiness and some motor symptoms - were given either a caffeine supplement or placebo pill.
Members of the caffeine group were given 100 milligrams of caffeine twice a day for three weeks, then 200 milligrams twice a day for three weeks, which is the equivalent of between two and four cups of coffee a day.
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Study finds coffee may calm Parkinson's disease
Michael J. Fox Foundation grant to Dr. Samuel Young will provide Parkinson's drug development tools
Public release date: 3-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dennis Tartaglia dtartaglia@tartagliacommunications.com 732-545-1848 Tartaglia Communications
Samuel M. Young, Jr., PhD, research group leader at the new Max Planck Florida Institute (MPFI), has received his first grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). The grant will enable Dr. Young and colleagues to develop a technology that will help scientists working in drug development to research potential treatments that target LRRK2, a Parkinson's-related gene. Globally, five million people have Parkinson's disease.
"We are excited about receiving The Michael J. Fox Foundation grant, as these grants are competitive and MJFF is the world's largest private funder of Parkinson's research," said Dr. Young, who directs MPFI's Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Function research group. "We believe that the tools we develop will prove important in advancing Parkinson's research."
Translational researchers working in Parkinson's disease have been hindered in studying the function of the LRRK2 gene in pre-clinical models of Parkinson's. This has been due to difficulty in expressing this gene with commonly used neuroscience research tools known as recombinant viral vectors. Dr. Young will develop tools that will allow researchers to get around this problem.
Mutations in the gene for leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are among the most common genetic links to Parkinson's disease yet discovered. LRRK2 has garnered much excitement among drug makers due to its reported protein kinase activity, which appears to be enhanced by Parkinson's disease-causing mutations.
"We are delighted that The Michael J. Fox Foundation has awarded Dr. Young with a grant to lead this critical project," said David Fitzpatrick, PhD, CEO and Scientific Director of MPFI. "This grant recognizes Dr. Young's specialized expertise, as well as our Institute's leadership role in neural circuit research."
Recombinant viral vectors are used by scientists to deliver genetic material into cells. Viruses have evolved specialized molecular mechanisms to efficiently transport their genomes inside the cells they infect. To create the vector, viruses are bioengineered to strip their viral genome or most of their viral genome, which renders them harmless. This enables them to carry transgene expression cassettes to express a gene of interest. The transgene expression cassette is a fragment of DNA that carries the regulatory elements necessary for cells to express specific genes within a cell or organism.
As the principal investigator of the project, Dr. Young will work with collaborators at other institutions to generate the optimal expression cassette to express LRRK2.
Dr. Young has specialized training that makes him the ideal investigator for this project. After training in virology and in recombinant viral vectors during his doctoral studies, Dr. Young switched fields and became a post-doctoral neuroscience researcher, learning electrophysiology techniques. He carried out a second post-doctoral position, gaining further experience with advanced electrophysiological techniques as well as calcium imaging. Using this unique training, which combines techniques in molecular, electrophysiological and biophysical methods, Dr. Young and his group at MPFI study the molecular mechanisms regulating synaptic function. Understanding these mechanisms is critical because the major causes of brain diseases are due to synaptic dysfunction.
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Michael J. Fox Foundation grant to Dr. Samuel Young will provide Parkinson's drug development tools
Soon, therapy to freeze Parkinson's in its tracks
Washington, May 3 : Researchers are developing a preventive therapy to halt symptoms in Parkinson's patients.
Parkinson's disease is characterized by a gradual loss of neurons that produce dopamine. Mutations in the gene known as DJ-1 lead to accelerated loss of dopaminergic neurons and result in the onset of Parkinson's symptoms at a young age.
The ability to modify the activity of DJ-1 could change the progress of the disease, said Dr. Nirit Lev, a researcher at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and a movement disorders specialist at Rabin Medical Center.
Working in collaboration with Profs. Dani Offen and Eldad Melamed, Dr. Lev has now developed a peptide which mimics DJ-1's normal function, thereby protecting dopamine- producing neurons. What's more, the peptide can be easily delivered by daily injections or absorbed into the skin through an adhesive patch.
Based on a short protein derived from DJ-1 itself, the peptide has been shown to freeze neurodegeneration in its tracks, reducing problems with mobility and leading to greater protection of neurons and higher dopamine levels in the brain.
Dr. Lev said that this method could be developed as a preventative therapy.
As we age, we naturally lose dopamine-producing neurons. Parkinson's patients experience a rapid loss of these neurons from the onset of the disease, leading to much more drastic deficiencies in dopamine than the average person.
Preserving dopamine-producing neurons can mean the difference between living life as a Parkinson's patient or aging normally, said Dr. Lev.
The researchers set out to develop a therapy based on the protective effects of DJ-1, using a short peptide based on the healthy version of DJ-1 itself as a vehicle.
'We attached the DJ-1-related peptide to another peptide that would allow it to enter the cells, and be carried to the brain,' explained Dr. Lev.
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Soon, therapy to freeze Parkinson's in its tracks
Lee Judge Simpson says he's still effective justice despite Parkinson's disease
Photo by David Ahntholz .da
Joe Simpson
FORT MYERS A Lee circuit judge who hasn't presided over a hearing for a year, but reviews cases and signs orders in an office, contends Parkinson's disease doesn't prevent him from working as a judge and calls his critics misinformed or swayed by stereotypes.
Judge Joseph Simpson, seeking a second six-year term, says it wasn't his choice to be removed from the courtroom last July and given a handicap-accessible office, where he works on a paperwork docket, reviewing domestic violence petitions for temporary injunctions, uncontested divorces, probate files and orders.
"I have been asked why run for re-election and be subjected to ridicule for carrying out my judicial duties with Parkinson's, especially after having spent thousands of dollars to be defended against claims of inability to sit as judge," Simpson wrote in a letter to the Daily News, noting that his mind is still sharp and he uses aids to ensure his voice is clear.
"It is my sincere belief that the public suffers when a judiciary does not include persons with disabilities, with the insight, common sense and experience they bring to the bench," he wrote. " My ability to handle complex legal matters and render sound decisions remains constant."
Simpson detailed his situation in a recent five-page letter to Daily News after the newspaper published a story May 13 about how lawyers and others couldn't understand him, his lack of a hearing docket and the burden it places on judges who share his caseload.
Neither Simpson nor his judicial assistant agreed to interviews for the May 13 story. A Daily News reporter was unable to find or see him because his office isn't accessible without an escort, which wasn't provided.
Circuit Chief Judge Jay Rosman has called Simpson's docket "valuable work" that provides more time for other judges, an accommodation beneficial to the community, the judiciary and Simpson.
But it comes at a time when the state reduced Lee's request for three additional circuit judges to two this year. Lee's circuit civil and probate cases totaled 1.17 million last fiscal year, not including thousands of criminal cases circuit judges hear.
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Lee Judge Simpson says he's still effective justice despite Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease patients can become more creative when they take dopamine
Public release date: 23-Feb-2012
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Contact: Annette Whibley
annette.wizard@gmail.com
Wiley-Blackwell
Some Parkinson's Disease patients can suddenly become creative when they take dopamine therapy, producing pictures, sculptures, novels and poetry. But their new-found interests can become so overwhelming that they ignore other aspects of their everyday life, such as daily chores and social activities, according to research published in the March issue of the European Journal of Neurology.
Italian researchers studied 36 patients with Parkinson's Disease - 18 with increased artistic production and 18 without - and compared them with 36 healthy controls without Parkinson's. None of the patients had engaged in artistic hobbies before they took dopamine.
"Patients were included in the artistic group if they started working on creative projects for two or more hours a day after starting taking dopamine" explains lead author Dr Margherita Canesi, a neurological specialist at the Centro Parkinson e Disordini del Movimento in Milan.
"Our findings suggest that the patients' newly acquired artistic skills were probably there all along, but did not start to emerge until they took the dopamine therapy. They did not appear to be connected with abnormal repetitive behaviours, such as impulse control disorders or punding - stereotyped behavior characterised by an intense fascination with a complex, excessive, non-goal oriented, repetitive activity.
"Other researchers have noted that altered creative drive has been observed in patients who have neurodegenerative diseases or have had a stroke. However the anatomical and physiological understanding of creativity is difficult to establish and quantify."
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centres. It helps to regulate movement and emotional responses and enables people to see rewards and work towards them. Parkinson's Disease is caused by dopamine deficiency and using medication to increase dopamine levels in the brain is one of the most popular kinds of therapy.
Key findings of the study included:
The artwork presented by the patients was mainly drawings/paintings (83%), poetry/novels (50%) and sculpture (28%). In 78% of cases, the patients showed more than one skill, normally writing plus painting or drawing. Some of the patients produced art that was sold and books that were published, but, at the other end of the scale, some of the creative work was of a very poor quality. By using the Torrence Test of Creative Thinking to compare the three groups, the researchers showed that the artistic Parkinson's Disease patients had similar overall and individual scores to the healthy controls. However the non-artistic patients had significantly lower overall scores than the healthy controls and significantly lower scores than the artistic patients when it came to the elaboration sub-score. There was no correlation between the Torrence Test of Creative Thinking scores and the scores obtained using the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, one of the oldest and most widely used measures of impulsive personality traits. The researchers also used the Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview. This showed that one creative patient was positive for compulsive sexual behaviour, one creative patient for compulsive buying and two creative and three non-creative patients for pathological gambling. However, there was little difference in the Torrence scores for patients who tested positive or negative on the Minnesota scale. None of the patients or healthy controls displayed the stereotyped behaviour measured by the Punding Rating Scale.
"In conclusion, we found that newly acquired creative drive in patients with Parkinson's Disease, after the introduction of dopaminergic therapy, is not related to impulsivity or impulse control disorders as measured by the Barratt Impulsivity Scale or the Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview" says Dr Canesi.
"We believe that their desire to be creative could represent emerging innate skills, possibly linked to repetitive and reward-seeking behaviours. Further studies are needed to support our preliminary observations."
###
Notes to editors
Artistic productivity and creative thinking in Parkinson's disease. Canesi et al. European Journal of Neurology. 19, pp468-472. (March 2012) doi:10.1111/j.1468-1331.2011.03546.x The European Journal of Neurology covers all areas of clinical and basic research in neurology, including pre-clinical research of immediate translational value for new potential treatments. Emphasis is placed on major diseases or large clinical and socio-economic importance (dementia, stroke, epilepsy, headache, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, and infectious diseases). The journal provides a forum for European activity in clinical neuroscience and medical practice and helps strengthen the links between research workers and clinicians in Europe and other parts of the world. The journal also publishes the official EFNS taskforce papers. http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ENE Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit http://www.wileyblackwell.com or our online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities. [ | E-mail | Share ]
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Parkinson's disease patients can become more creative when they take dopamine
Freezing Parkinson's in its tracks: Researcher developing therapy to halt symptoms in Parkinson's patients
ScienceDaily (May 2, 2012) Parkinson's disease, a disorder which affects movement and cognition, affects over a million Americans, including actor Michael J. Fox, who first brought it to the attention of many TV-watching Americans. It's characterized by a gradual loss of neurons that produce dopamine. Mutations in the gene known as DJ-1 lead to accelerated loss of dopaminergic neurons and result in the onset of Parkinson's symptoms at a young age.
The ability to modify the activity of DJ-1 could change the progress of the disease, says Dr. Nirit Lev, a researcher at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and a movement disorders specialist at Rabin Medical Center. Working in collaboration with Profs. Dani Offen and Eldad Melamed, Dr. Lev has now developed a peptide which mimics DJ-1's normal function, thereby protecting dopamine-producing neurons. What's more, the peptide can be easily delivered by daily injections or absorbed into the skin through an adhesive patch.
Based on a short protein derived from DJ-1 itself, the peptide has been shown to freeze neurodegeneration in its tracks, reducing problems with mobility and leading to greater protection of neurons and higher dopamine levels in the brain. Dr. Lev says that this method, which has been published in a number of journals including the Journal of Neural Transmission, could be developed as a preventative therapy.
Guarding dopamine levels
As we age, we naturally lose dopamine-producing neurons. Parkinson's patients experience a rapid loss of these neurons from the onset of the disease, leading to much more drastic deficiencies in dopamine than the average person. Preserving dopamine-producing neurons can mean the difference between living life as a Parkinson's patient or aging normally, says Dr. Lev.
The researchers set out to develop a therapy based on the protective effects of DJ-1, using a short peptide based on the healthy version of DJ-1 itself as a vehicle. "We attached the DJ-1-related peptide to another peptide that would allow it to enter the cells, and be carried to the brain," explains Dr. Lev.
In pre-clinical trials, the treatment was tested on mice utilizing well-established toxic and genetic models for Parkinson's disease. From both a behavioral and biochemical standpoint, the mice that received the peptide treatment showed remarkable improvement. Symptoms such as mobility dysfunctions were reduced significantly, and researchers noted the preservation of dopamine-producing neurons and higher dopamine levels in the brain.
Preliminary tests indicate that the peptide is a viable treatment option. Though many peptides have a short life span and degrade quickly, this peptide does not. Additionally, it provides a safe treatment option because peptides are organic to the body itself.
Filling an urgent need
According to Dr. Lev, this peptide could fill a gap in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. "Current treatments are lacking because they can only address symptoms -- there is nothing that can change or halt the disease," she says. "Until now, we have lacked tools for neuroprotection."
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Freezing Parkinson's in its tracks: Researcher developing therapy to halt symptoms in Parkinson's patients
Tai Chi may help Parkinson's patients regain balance
A six-month program of Tai Chi exercises helped people with various stages of Parkinson's disease improve stability, their ability to walk and reduced the frequency of falls.
A study released this week in the New England Journal of Medicine compared a six-month tailored Tai Chi program to resistance training and stretching to see which was most effective at improving functional movement, walking and balance for Parkinson's patients.
Researchers randomly assigned 195 men and women ages 40 to 85 who were in stages one to four of Parkinson's disease (on a scale of one to five). Parkinson's is a neurological disorder caused by a loss of neurons that produce dopamine, a chemical involved with muscle function and movement coordination. That can result in tremors, stiffness, poor coordination and more difficulty doing daily activities. It can also lead to a higher risk of falls, which can cause serious injuries.
Tai Chi, a discipline that incorporates slow, deliberate movements, plus breathing, has health benefits that include reducing stress and improving balance and posture.
The study participants were randomly assigned to hourlong, twice weekly sessions of Tai Chi, resistance training or stretching for six months. Researchers assessed their status at the beginning of the study, at three and six months, and three months after the study ended.
The Tai Chi group did better than the stretching group on a few measures: leaning without losing balance, having better directional control of their body, and walking skills. They outperformed the resistance training group on balance and stride length. Those in the Tai Chi group also reduced their frequency of falls more than the stretching group, and on a par with the resistance group.
Three months after the study ended, those in the Tai Chi group were able to maintain the benefits they had gained.
"Since many training features in the program are functionally oriented," said Oregon Research Institute scientist Fuzhong Li in a news release, "the improvements in the balance and gait measures that we demonstrated highlight the potential of Tai Chi-based movements in rehabilitating patients with these types of problems and, consequently, easing cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease and improving mobility, flexibility, balance and range of motion." Li was the lead author of the study.
He added that Tai Chi has several advantages: "It is a low-cost activity that does not require equipment, it can be done anywhere, at any time, and the movements can be easily learned. It can also be incorporated into a rehabilitation setting as part of existing treatment. Similarly, because of its simplicity, certain aspects of this Tai Chi program can also be prescribed to patients as a self-care/home activity."
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Tai Chi may help Parkinson's patients regain balance