News by Subject Medicine & Health

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have uncovered new molecular drivers of Parkinson's disease using a sophisticated statistical technique called multiscale gene network analysis (MGNA). The team was also able to determine how these molecular drivers impact the functions of genes involved in the disease. The results, which may point to potential new treatments, were published today in Nature Communications.

People with tremors in their hands, head or voice may find some relief for up to three years from a treatment using ultrasound waves to destroy the area of the brain causing the tremor, according to a study published in the Nov. 20, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The treatment is used for people whose tremors do not improve with medication.

Down syndrome, due to an extra chromosome 21, occurs in 250,000 children and adults in the United States, making it the country's most common chromosomal disorder. Inherited heart defects, thyroid cancer, celiac disease and developmental disabilities are common Down syndrome complications. Only recently has catatonia, a behavioral condition marked by new onset immobility, mutism, withdrawal and other behavioral abnormalities, been recognized in Down syndrome.

Amsterdam, NL, November 15, 2019 - Constipation is a common complaint in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) and pre- and probiotics are potential options for treating constipation and restoring the microbiome of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but scientists warn that clinical data are scarce, and more research is needed before supporting their use. They present their findings in a review article in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease.

Amsterdam, NL, November 14, 2019 - Relatively new research findings indicating that the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) may occur in the gut have been gaining traction in recent years. In a review published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, Tomasz Brudek, PhD, evaluates evidence for the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and PD and proposes directions for future research.

Researchers have provided new insight into the neural processes behind movement and learning behaviours, according to a study published today in eLife.