A three-week ketogenic diet, one low in carbohydrates and high in fat, supplemented with a specific type of fat — called medium chain triglycerides — showed no significant benefits in easing motor symptoms in a small group of people with Parkinson’s disease, a pilot trial has found. Whether this diet may improve cognition or slow disease progression “requires further study,” researchers wrote in the study “A randomized feasibility trial of medium chain triglyceride-supplemented ketogenic diet in people with Parkinson’s disease,” which was published in the journal BMC Neurology. Parkinson’s di ..read more

I was watching my youngest daughter’s high school lacrosse game the other night and commented to my wife, “She’s seeing the field really well right now.” We talked a bit about how it’s obvious, from a spectator’s perspective, when our kids are bringing their A-game and are engaged and anticipating the action. It’s fun to watch. Even better, it’s fun to be with our daughter after the game when she knows that she competed and made smart plays — especially on nights when she had great field vision and a special level of awareness of the game and the players. Meanwhile, over the past week or so ..read more

A Phase 1/2 clinical trial dubbed ASPIRO that’s testing Aspen Neuroscience’s ANPD001 — a stem cell therapy candidate designed to replace the nerve cells that are lost in Parkinson’s disease — has dosed its first patient. A first transplant was conducted at the Banner-University Medical Center Tucson by neurosurgeon Paul Larson, MD, the trial’s lead investigator, Aspen announced in a company press release ASPIRO (NCT06344026), which was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year, is testing the long-term safety and tolerability of the ANPD001 stem cell therapy when transp ..read more

Sage Therapeutics’ dalzanemdor, formerly known as SAGE-718, an investigational oral medication for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Parkinson’s disease, has failed to outperform a placebo in a Phase 2 study. Based on these top-line data from the trial, called PRECEDENT (NCT05318937), Sage will stop any further development of dalzanemdor for Parkinson’s. “We are disappointed by the results of the Phase 2 PRECEDENT study given the significant burden of mild cognitive impairment on people and families affected by Parkinson’s Disease,” Barry Greene, Sage’s CEO, said in a company press relea ..read more

Updated exercise guidelines for those with Parkinson’s disease released by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) now include Nordic pole walking as a suggested aerobic activity to help mitigate symptoms and improve everyday life. The exercise, a Finnish-derived low-impact total body walk, is also known as urban poling, which is also the name of the Toronto-based company that distributes the “Activator Poles” that can be used with such walks. According to Urban Poling, using the poles can improve gait, increase the user’s base of support, and provide extra stability to reduce the risk of a ..read more

The estate of a longtime supporter of the Norton Neuroscience Institute at Norton Healthcare has gifted the center $20 million to help expand programming and research in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. The donation from the estate of Elizabeth Pahk Cressman, MD, PhD, will aid the Louisville, Kentucky-based institute’s Just Imagine growth campaign, which seeks to “further transform and improve complex neurological care” to meet a burgeoning demand, according to a Norton Healthcare press release. The gift will help ensure better access to medical expertise and expand inno ..read more

Three biobehavioral scientists at Teachers College (TC), Columbia University are working on separate collaborative efforts in exercise, speech, and swallowing among Parkinson’s patients to potentially improve quality of life for the more than 10 million people estimated globally to be living with the progressive neurodegenerative disease. In honor of this year’s Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, observed each April, the New York-based graduate school of education, health, and psychology is highlighting the work of three of its researchers: Gemma Moya-Galé, PhD, Michelle Troche, PhD, and Lo ..read more

Cycling indoors on a stationary bicycle for two may improve the health and well-being of people with Parkinson’s disease and their care partners, a preliminary small study at the University of South Carolina suggests. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, which took place April 13-18, in Denver and online, in a poster titled “Functional and Cognitive Benefits of a Community Tandem Cycling Exercise Intervention on Patients with Parkinson’s Disease and their Care Partners.” “Our study found that a unique cycling program that pairs people with Par ..read more

ND0612, a formation of levodopa/carbidopa administered continuously by an under-the-skin pump, led to better symptom control for people with advanced Parkinson’s disease in a Phase 3 trial, and the therapy’s efficacy and safety were consistent irrespective of patient factors like age, weight, and medication dosage. That’s according to data discussed at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2024 Annual Meeting, held April 13-18 in Colorado and online. Alberto Espay, MD, a study investigator and consultant to ND0612’s developer NeuroDerm (a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp.), prese ..read more

Treatment with prasinezumab — an experimental therapy designed to stop toxic alpha-synuclein protein clumps from spreading through the brain — seems to slow the progression of motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease. That’s according to the results of a new analysis that compared the findings of a long-term clinical trial of prasinezumab with data from a real-world observational study. Patrik Brundin, MD, PhD, therapeutic area leader for movement disorders at Roche, which is co-developing the therapy with Prothena Biosciences, presented the analysis’ findings at this year’s American ..read more