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'Freezing' is a common and debilitating symptom of Parkinson's disease, with patients suddenly finding themselves unable to move their feet forward.

Drugs, surgeries and behavioral therapies have all proven rather ineffective against freezing, but Parkinson's patients might find fresh hope from a new, more sci-fi angle, researchers say.

A soft robotic exoskeleton appears able to hel...

A rare genetic mutation found in 1% of people of European descent appears to cut their odds for Parkinson's disease in half, a new study finds.

A better understanding of how this bit of DNA works might lead to better prevention and treatment of Parkinson's generally, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) said.

"This study advances our understanding of why people...

Patients with Parkinson's disease call it "D-Day," the date they were told they had the incurable movement disorder.

Now, a new study suggests they might be getting the wrong message when they get the news.

"A lot of people say 'I'm sorry, you have Parkinson's,'" said lead author Dr. Indu Subramanian, a movement dis...

Early research in mice could be getting closer to the roots of what causes Parkinson's disease.

A "pathological" form of a common brain protein, alpha-synuclein, could play a role in the death of dopamine-rich brain cells, according to a team at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

It's this steady loss of dopamine cells that's a hallmark of Parkinson's, researchers explai...

A wireless, noninvasive device has shown promise in detecting the biomarkers of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Researchers said the device uses electrical detection to identify proteins associated with Alzheimer's (amyloid beta and tau) and Parkinson's (alpha synuclein) in saliva and urine.

"This portable diagnostic system would allow testing at-home and at point of care, lik...

Loneliness can leave many feeling desolate, but new research now suggests it may also leave people vulnerable to Parkinson's disease.

Among more than 490,000 people listed in the UK Biobank who were followed for up to 15 years, loneliness appeared to increase the chances of a Parkinson's diagnosis by 37%.

"The association between loneliness and incident Parkinson's disease was not d...

Patients with Parkinson's disease already face poorer mental and physical health, but now a new study shows they also suffer from decreased levels of hope and self-esteem due to the stigma associated with their disease.

"There are patients who don't even disclose the disease to family members because they're afraid that the children may change their opinion of them or start making plans ...

Many Medicare patients can't get help close to home for brain and nervous system issues.

Nearly 1 in 5 Medicare recipients in the United States live at least 50 miles from their neurologist.

"Our study found a substantial travel burden exists for some people with neurologic conditions, including people living in areas with fewer neurologists and rural areas,"said study author

As it stands, no one blood test or brain scan can definitively diagnose Parkinson's disease.

But researchers report this may soon change if a new blood test continues to show promise.

The test measures DNA damage in the mitochondria of cells, which is known to be higher in people with Parkinson's disease. Earlier research from the same group also showed there is an accumulation of m...

It might not seem like constipation or difficulty swallowing could signal a neurological problem, but new research suggests that these gut conditions could be an early indicator of Parkinson's disease.

Gastrointestinal symptoms are also thought to precede the development of cerebrovascular disease, including stroke, brain aneurysm or Alzheimer's disease. It has previously been suggested t...

British researchers may have found a way to diagnose Parkinson's disease several years sooner.

Researchers at University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital say that eye scans may be able to detect signs of Parkinson's up to seven years before diagnosis.

"I continue to be amazed by what we can discover through eye scans. While we are not yet ready to predict whether an indivi...

The link between pro football and the risk for a neurodegenerative disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is well known, and now a new study suggests that football may also up the risk for Parkinson's disease, even among past high school and college players.

"Parkinson's disease has been commonly reported in boxers, but we have not explored this link in great detail in foot...

Every week, a group of dancers meets in Chicago. Together, they follow a series of movements under the guidance of an instructor.

They flex, and reach, and point as Carly Liegel, community engagement program coordinator for the Joffrey Ballet, leads them through a series of movements with their arms and then th...

People with Parkinson's disease often aren't getting the care they need for the debilitating movement disorder, a new study reports.

Three in 10 are relying on primary care doctors to treat their disorder, and 1 in 10 aren't seeing a doc at all, analysis of Medicare data reveals.

And fewer than 1 in 10 are seeing a neurologist specifically trained in treating Parkinson's, researcher...

Patients recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease who have early hallucinations are at greater risk of faster mental decline, according to new research on the disease.

These so-called "presence hallucinations," such as the strong sense that someone is behind you, watching you, but no one is there, are a frequent but brushed off and underreported symptoms in Parkinson's patients.

...

A new brain bank is accepting future donations from living athletes, in an effort to perform long-term research into the effects of sports-related concussion.

The National Sports Brain Bank (NSBB) at the University of Pittsburgh will track the health of living participants on an annual basis, and...

Scientists say they've identified 10 pesticides that kill neurons involved in Parkinson's disease, marking a leap forward in their understanding of the movement disorder.

Pesticide exposure has long been associated with Parkinson's, but investigators hadn't been able to pinpoint specific culprits.

A team from the University of California, Los Angeles and Harvard University pai...

Regular exercise has a long list of health benefits, and a new study suggests another one could be added: a lower risk of Parkinson's disease.

The study, of nearly 99,000 French women, found that those who were most physically active day to day were 25% less likely to develop Parkinson's ov...

A chemical used to degrease industrial parts that was also used as a surgical anesthetic until the 1970s may increase the risk for Parkinson's disease, researchers report.

Their new study found that two years of heavy exposure to the liquid chemical TCE may boost Parkinson's risk by 70%.

TCE, or trichloroethylene, lingers in the air, water and soil. It has been linked to certain can...

An extended-release version of a Parkinson's disease drug could provide more stable relief for patients with the movement disorder, new clinical trial data show.

The new formulation of levodopa, called IPX203, extended the duration of patients' "on time" -- the amount of time the medication is working and symptoms are lessened, researchers reported this week at the American Academy of Ne...

Comedian Richard Lewis is the latest celebrity to reveal that he has been diagnosed with the central nervous system disorder Parkinson's disease.

Lewis, 75, said in a