Parkinson’s Disease

SNARE proteins determine how tiny membrane pouches called vesicles fuse with different cellular compartments to transport cargo and organize cells. How cells correctly target individual SNAREs to their destination is poorly understood, but the laboratories of Todd Graham, Jason MacGurn and Lauren Jackson recently published a paper uncovering part of the process that controls this compartmentalization.   Read More

Appello Pharmaceuticals Inc. begins trial of a drug candidate that improves relief from symptoms of Parkinson’s disease without debilitating side effects. Read More

Analysis of data from a clinical trial conducted at Vanderbilt suggests that deep brain stimulation (DBS) administered to patients with very early-stage Parkinson’s disease slowed the progression of rest tremor. The study, published June 29 in Neurology, is significant because it is the first evidence of a treatment that may… Read More

Blocking a nerve-cell receptor in part of the brain that coordinates movement could improve the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, dyskinesia and other movement disorders, researchers at Vanderbilt University have reported. Read More

A noninvasive MRI technique may help predict a troubling side effect of common medications for Parkinson’s Disease and improve clinical treatment plans. Read More

A consortium led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) researchers has received funding as it makes plans for a multicenter trial that could determine whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) slows the progression of Parkinson’s disease in early-stage patients. Read More

Vanderbilt Clinical Neurosciences is marking two milestones — the 20th anniversary of its deep brain stimulation (DBS) program and its 1,000th DBS procedure. Read More

Despite benefiting from dramatic improvements in movement after deep brain stimulation surgery, patients with Parkinson’s disease can be inadequately served when physicians and researchers focus only on its motor manifestations, says a Vanderbilt neurosurgeon. Read More

Mitochondria not only are the cell’s main power producers, they are also the chief cooks and bottle washers. Read More

A genetic predisposition to Parkinson’s disease makes neurons more vulnerable to the toxicity of heavy metals such as copper. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have developed tools to probe the role of the essential metal manganese in neurons, and which offer a started point for developing therapeutic agents for manganese-related neurological disorders. Read More

Reporting last week in the journal Cell, researchers from Oregon Health and Science University, Harvard Medical School and Vanderbilt University describe the first “four-dimensional” picture of a brain receptor that plays a key role in learning and memory. Read More

A long-term Vanderbilt University Medical Center study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in early-stage Parkinson’s disease has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue in a pivotal, phase III, large-scale safety and efficacy trial. Read More

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego and Vanderbilt University have discovered a “missing link” in the structure of a transmembrane receptor that could lead to new treatments for autism, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Read More

Amish populations are valuable for genetic research because of their isolation, shared ancestry and homogeneous lifestyles. Read More

These stories from the past year show how Vanderbilt is making an impact, on campus and in the world. Read More

Eating fava beans increases dopamine in blood and urine, but does not stimulate urinary sodium excretion. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered a new “push-pull” mechanism in the brain that one day could lead to new treatments for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, as well as stress-related disorders and addiction. Read More

Vanderbilt University and Bristol-Myers Squibb have signed a collaboration agreement for the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies acting on the mGluR4 glutamate receptor, known as positive allosteric modulators, or PAMs, for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Read More

Deep brain stimulation used to treat Parkinson’s disease may impair some aspects of language processing, a recent study suggests. Read More