The Science of Parkinson's

If you don't follow Andy Cassy's (@BoytonBoy) blog posts, you really should. Some very interesting insights from a participant in the STEM-PD cell transplantation trial for #Parkinsons (and stuff about table tennis) pwap.blog

The results suggest that circulating levels of physical activity-related proteins reflecting cell adhesion/extracellular matrix biology (ANTXR2 is highlighted) "may represent key molecular targets for dementia prevention"

Physical activity is a modifiable lifestyle behaviour associated with lower dementia risk; Researchers have leveraged large-scale plasma proteomics to identify biological signatures of objectively monitored physical activity & cognitive ageing academic.oup.com/braincomms/art…

Lovely figures in this paper!

Researchers demonstrate how sparse genetic labeling enables comprehensive reconstruction of individual dopamine neurons in mice; Subtypes exhibit distinct developmental & adult morphologies, as well as responses to axon degeneration (#Parkinsons) cell.com/neuron/fulltex…

Studying invasive cortico-subthalamic oscillations in 22 patients with #Parkinsons during dyskinesia-evoking protocols helps researchers introduce a new state concept that may inform future adaptive neuromodulation academic.oup.com/brain/advance-…

"Neurodegenerative mortality was nearly 4x higher in NFL players [19,824 athletes] compared to the general population & remained 3x higher after accounting for competing risks"; #Parkinsons (SMR = 3.88; 95% CI: 2.76–5.30) linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S…

New findings identify a plasma protein panel, particularly the combination of elevated IL-17C & reduced urokinase plasminogen activator, "as a robust & generalizable diagnostic signature that captures fundamental pathophysiological aspects of #Parkinsons" academic.oup.com/braincomms/art…

Feels like 2026 is the year of co-pathology New paper finds Aβ-positive #Parkinsons patients (n = 59; vs Aβ-negative n = 93) have more olfactory dysfunction, dysautonomia, mood disturbance, higher prevalence of RBD, hypotension & greater motor disability …mentdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/md…

New in-cell cryo-electron tomography research reveals differential effects of type I & type II kinase inhibitors on #Parkinsons-associated LRRK2 filament formation & microtubule association elifesciences.org/articles/111075

Researchers present PNU-120596 - an α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor positive allosteric modulator - which exerts anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in cellular models of #Parkinsons sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Using high res electron microscopy, nano-secondary ion mass spec, & energy dispersive X-ray microscpectroscopy, researchers present the elemental composition of intact neuromelanin-containing organelles was analyzed in 7 postmortem locus coeruleus samples onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jn…

A wonderful surprise was waiting for me at @CureParkinsonsT HQ this morning! Looking forward to reading this

A randomized controlled trial of 60 patients with #Parkinsons & 60 healthy controls finds 2000 IU/day of Vitamin D safely corrected nutritional deficiency in PD patients, but provided no significant short-term motor or cognitive benefits (12 wks treatment) ovid.com/jnls/md-journa…

@BiochemSoc @JessKeav Learn more about Jessi here: link2lrrk2.com

At the recent @BiochemSoc LRRK2 Meeting in Dundee, advocate Jessi Keavney @JessKeav got a standing ovation from the audience for her amazing presentation on the human experience of LRRK2-associated #Parkinsons - very powerful stuff!

Using both 2D & 3D hiPSC-neuronal models, researchers dissect the transcriptome of Parkin (PRKN)-linked #Parkinsons, revealing multiple biological processes including synaptic & metabolic function, inflammation, & intracellular trafficking nature.com/articles/s4200…

Interesting reading, but this figure shows how negative clinical trial results can hurt a field for 10 years (look at that gap in the middle!) - no pressure on those playing in this space...

New perspective tries to dissect divergent outcomes in stem cell-derived dopamine cell therapy trials for #Parkinsons; Comparing A9-DPC trial, Bemdaneprocel trial & Kyoto trial; "Across domains, several lessons have emerged that inform future trial design" cell.com/cell-stem-cell…

The paper in question: nature.com/articles/s4141…

New editorial explores TMBIM6, suggesting that it is at the intersection between proteostasis dysregulation & #Parkinsons; Highlights recent study revealing that enhancing TMBIM6 expression in the brain is neuroprotective in models of PD nature.com/articles/s4141…