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Medical News Today
10-08-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Cycling may help restore neural connections damaged by Parkinson's
Parkinson's disease negatively impacts the body's central nervous system, which includes the brain. A new study has found that cycling helps restore neural connections damaged by Parkinson's disease. This benefit was seen in as little as 12 cycling sessions over a four-week to the Parkinson's Foundation, an estimated 10 million people around the world live with Parkinson's disease — a neurological condition that affects a person's ability to move. Parkinson's disease negatively impacts the body's central nervous system, which includes the brain. 'The brain is a dynamic and ever-evolving system, and Parkinson's disease disrupts this system in complex, continually changing ways,' Aasef Shaikh MD, PhD, professor and vice chair (research), director of the Research and Education Center in the Neurological Institute at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Department of Neurology at UH Cleveland Medical Center, explained to Medical News Today. 'Even in the absence of disease, the brain undergoes natural changes as it ages. When a degenerative condition like Parkinson's is introduced, it adds layers of complexity and nonlinear disruptions to brain function,' he said. Shaikh is the lead author of a new study recently published in the journal Clinical Neurophysiology that found cycling helps restore neural connections damaged by Parkinson's disease. Cycling and deep brain stimulation for Parkinson'sFor this study, researchers recruited nine adult participants with Parkinson's disease to undergo 12 cycling sessions over a four-week period. All participants had deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices that had already been implanted before the start of the study. 'This study … leveraged DBS for its unique ability to record neural activity in the brain regions surrounding the stimulation lead,' Shaikh said. 'Using this capability, the researchers examined how exercise influences and potentially rewires brain function.' Scientists utilized an adaptive cycling program where over time, the bike 'learned' how each participant performed while biking. For example, while a game screen allowed participants to know their pedaling intensity, the bike would add or remove resistance depending on each rider's effort level. Measurable changes after 12 cycling sessionsAt the study's conclusion, Shaikh and his team found that after 12 cycling sessions, study participants demonstrated a measurable change in the brain signals involved with both motor control and movement. 'This finding provided proof of principle that exercise changes the brain. It further informed us that change only happens when exercise is done persistently, consistently, and over (a) long period of time. From the mechanistic standpoint it told us that drivers of such change may reside outside of basal ganglia — the key structure involved in Parkinson's disease.' — Aasef Shaikh MD, PhD'(The) main takeaway from the patients' perspective is that one has to keep (an) active lifestyle, constantly doing physical 'exercise' to keep up with Parkinson's disease,' Shaikh explained. 'Analogous to this is doing 'mental exercise' — which will help one stay mentally healthy and cognitively healthy. The take away from scientific and mechanistic standpoint is that exercise induced change (plasticity) happens, but the driver is outside of the basal ganglia. We have yet to determine that driver, but it could very well be (the) proprioceptive system and/or the cerebellum.' 'We would like to broaden this mechanistic investigation with more imaging and structure to function correlation tool sets available to us,' Shaikh added. 'We would also like to expand the effort, disseminating bike technology in multicenter trials. We would like to explore whether other exercise modalities have similar benefits.'How much does exercise affect Parkinson's?MNT spoke with Daniel H. Daneshvar, MD, PhD, chief of Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, about this study. Daneshvar commented that this was an encouraging and creative study that answers a critical question: to what extent does exercise result in actual changes in the brain in patients with Parkinson's disease? 'There's a robust body of literature that shows that exercise is the best intervention for individuals with Parkinson's disease, and I often tell my patients that if there were a pill that worked as well as exercise for Parkinson's disease, it'd be a billion dollar pill. However, we don't have a complete understanding of how exercise works on the brain.' — Daniel H. Daneshvar, MD, PhD'For patients, this is promising evidence that exercise can help re-engage parts of the brain affected by Parkinson's disease,' Daneshvar continued. 'That alignment between a practical therapy and circuit-level readouts is what makes this noteworthy for clinicians counseling patients about why exercise works so well, and is so important, for patients with Parkinson's disease.' Benefits of exercise have a long-term effectMNT also spoke with Samer Tabbal, MD, a neurologist and director of the movement disorders program at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, about this research. 'The motor benefit of exercise on patients with Parkinson's disease was demonstrated in multiple previous studies,' Tabbal commented. 'This study is a good attempt to explain how exercise provides such motor benefits by demonstrating how exercise changes the behavior of cells even in a damaged brain. The ability of the behavior of brain cells to change, including forming new connections, is referred to as neuroplasticity.' 'Of interest is the finding that dynamic cycling had no significant immediate effects on the outcome measures, but had definite long-term effects,' he continued. 'This may suggest that the benefit of exercise is a long-term goal and that patients should exercise with a long-term hope without expecting immediate benefits. This reminds me very much of how a long-term social relationship builds a solid, healthy friendship.' Tabbal said that knowledge is power, defined as the ability to change, and the more we know about how exercise improves brain function, the better we will be able to use exercise effectively to improve the symptoms of patients.'In the longer term, if we know how exercise improves brain function, we could find other means of achieving the same or even better benefit through other means, such as using medication, electric stimulation, magnetic stimulation, music, or light therapy,' he added.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What to know about Parkinson's disease after Ozzy Osbourne's death
Heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne died this week at 76, just weeks after his farewell show and about five years after announcing he had Parkinson's disease. Here's what to know about the disease: What is Parkinson's? Parkinson's is a neurologic disease that robs people of control over their movements. It typically starts with tremors and is characterized by slow movement, a shuffling gait, stiff limbs, balance problems and slurred speech. Who gets it? About 1 million Americans are living with Parkinson's, and 10 million people worldwide, the Parkinson's Foundation. estimates. It usually appears after age 60, although sometimes it can develop before age 50. What causes Parkinson's? The exact cause isn't known, but Parkinson's develops when cells that produce one of the brain's chemical messengers, called dopamine, begin to deteriorate and die. Dopamine transports signals to parts of the brain that control movement. Parkinson's symptoms appear after enough dopamine-producing cells die that there's too little of this neurotransmitter in the brain. According to the foundation, most experts believe genetic and environmental factors are behind the disease. Dozens of gene mutations linked to Parkinson's have been discovered and genetics account for 10% to 15% of all cases. Other factors suspected of increasing the risk include head injuries, exposure to pesticides and herbicides and where you live. Is there a cure? There is no cure but there are treatments, including medications that affect dopamine levels and a surgically implanted tremor-blocking device. Patients also can benefit from physical and occupational therapy. What's the prognosis? Symptoms worsen over time, usually slowly. The severity of symptoms and how quickly they progress varies widely between patients. In advanced cases, people may be unable to walk or care for themselves. They also can suffer from depression as well as memory and thinking problems. While Parkinson's itself isn't considered fatal, people can die from complications of the disease, including lung problems as muscle weakness impedes the ability to cough and to swallow. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press
23-07-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
What to know about Parkinson's disease after Ozzy Osbourne's death
Heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne died this week at 76, just weeks after his farewell show and about five years after announcing he had Parkinson's disease. Here's what to know about the disease: What is Parkinson's? Parkinson's is a neurologic disease that robs people of control over their movements. It typically starts with tremors and is characterized by slow movement, a shuffling gait, stiff limbs, balance problems and slurred speech. Who gets it? About 1 million Americans are living with Parkinson's, and 10 million people worldwide, the Parkinson's Foundation. estimates. It usually appears after age 60, although sometimes it can develop before age 50. What causes Parkinson's? The exact cause isn't known, but Parkinson's develops when cells that produce one of the brain's chemical messengers, called dopamine, begin to deteriorate and die. Dopamine transports signals to parts of the brain that control movement. Parkinson's symptoms appear after enough dopamine-producing cells die that there's too little of this neurotransmitter in the brain. According to the foundation, most experts believe genetic and environmental factors are behind the disease. Dozens of gene mutations linked to Parkinson's have been discovered and genetics account for 10% to 15% of all cases. Other factors suspected of increasing the risk include head injuries, exposure to pesticides and herbicides and where you live. Is there a cure? There is no cure but there are treatments, including medications that affect dopamine levels and a surgically implanted tremor-blocking device. Patients also can benefit from physical and occupational therapy. What's the prognosis? Symptoms worsen over time, usually slowly. The severity of symptoms and how quickly they progress varies widely between patients. In advanced cases, people may be unable to walk or care for themselves. They also can suffer from depression as well as memory and thinking problems. While Parkinson's itself isn't considered fatal, people can die from complications of the disease, including lung problems as muscle weakness impedes the ability to cough and to swallow. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Medical News Today
21-07-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Skin swabs may help detect Parkinson's years before symptoms appear
There is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease, nor are there specific tests for early diagnosis. A new study has identified a way to detect the condition before symptoms appear through the use of skin swabs via sebum and smell. The swabs could offer a noninvasive way to help diagnose Parkinson's disease in people who have not yet developed symptoms. According to the Parkinson's Foundation, more than 10 million people around the world are living with Parkinson's disease — a neurological disease that negatively impacts a person's movement and speech is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease. Although right now there are no specific tests to help diagnose the condition, identifying warning signs of Parkinson's disease as early as possible is critical in helping to slow disease progression. 'Current clinical diagnosis is too late as disease has progressed a lot,' Drupad K. Trivedi, PhD, lecturer in analytical and measurement science at the University of Manchester, told Medical News Today. Trivedi is the corresponding author of a new study recently published in the journal npj Parkinson's Disease that has identified a way to detect the condition before symptoms appear through the use of skin swabs. 'Smelling' signs of Parkinson's diseaseFor this study, scientists focused on testing study participants by using skin swabs of their sebum — an oily substance naturally produced by the skin's sebaceous the skin swabs, Trivedi said they were able to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the sebum. Different VOCs have a distinct smell, which is what helps make each person's body odor unique. 'We have found a few compounds that are expressed differently in people with Parkinson's disease compared to healthy controls as well as those who had REM sleep behavior disorder. A test that is a simple skin swab can potentially be the first test to detect Parkinson's before all the clinical signs start appearing.' — Drupad K. Trivedi, PhDThis study is an extension of two previous studies conducted by Trivedi and his team. The first study in March 2019 identified the presence of VOC biomarkers in the sebum of people with Parkinson's disease that also has a distinct smell. A second study in February 2021 that found a differential VOC profile between participants with Parkinson's disease and controls when analyzing their sebum. All of this research was reportedly inspired by Joy Milne, a research associate at the University of Manchester, who has a condition called hyperosmia, giving her an extremely strong sense of smell. In 2015, it was reported that Milne was able to 'smell' Parkinson's disease on her husband about six years before he received his concept of 'smelling' Parkinson's disease was further validated in a study recently published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease — for which Trivedi was also part of the research team — that found trained dogs could detect an odor on skin swabs to detect Parkinson's disease. Sebum compound levels may indicate Parkinson's diseaseResearchers recruited 83 study participants. Of this number, 46 had a Parkinson's disease diagnosis, 28 were healthy controls, and nine had isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (iRBD), which is considered to be an early warning sign of Parkinson's disease. Upon analysis, Trivedi and his team found that 55 significant features in the sebum that varied between the groups, and those with iRBD had levels in between those with Parkinson's disease and the healthy controls.'There were 55 features that showed levels for iRBD between healthy and Parkinson's disease,' Trivedi detailed. 'iRBD is one of the prodromal symptoms of Parkinson's disease. This means a good proportion of individuals suffering from iRBD may develop Parkinson's disease in the next decade or more. The intermediate level indicates a progression from control to iRDB to Parkinson's disease.' 'By early detection, we will be able to triage and offer advanced clinical tests, specialist support for confirmatory diagnosis without relying on physical symptoms to appear,' he continued. 'It also creates a potential to develop disease-modifying therapies in the future.' 'Next steps are to quantify these observed compounds in Parkinson's disease and iRBD, and also validate these findings in a long-term prospective study of [a] bigger iRBD cohort,' Trivedi added. Sebum VOCs may also help map Parkinson's progressionAdditionally, Trivedi collected sebum samples from people with Parkinson's disease over a three-year period. From these samples, he was able to find sebum compound patterns that suggest this method may also be used to map disease progression. 'This indicates that molecules we see on (the) skin surface may indicate progression of Parkinson's disease — it is a progressive disease with no cure,' he explained. 'A sudden, rapid progression could be monitored in future using such markers on [the] skin surface. There is also a potential to monitor [the] efficacy of treatment by such an approach.'Possible noninvasive tool for diagnosing presymptomatic Parkinson'sMNT also spoke with Rocco DiPaola, MD, a neurologist and movement disorder specialist at Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study. DiPaola commented that this study's results would offer a noninvasive tool for potentially diagnosing presymptomatic Parkinson's disease. 'While there are currently no treatments that prevent or slow the progression of disease, as these treatments become available, it will be important to identify those at risk prior to symptom onset,' he continued. 'Further studies on a larger scale to further determine validity of results as well as a means to have this available as a standardized test. Although not specific to this study, it would be important to continue to find ways to diagnose Parkinson's disease prior to symptom onset.'
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
New weekly injection for Parkinson's could replace daily pill for millions, study suggests
A new weekly injectable drug could transform the lives of more than eight million people living with Parkinson's disease, potentially replacing the need for daily pills. Scientists from the University of South Australia (UniSA) developed a long-acting injectable formulation that provides two key Parkinson's medications for an entire week. There is currently no cure for Parkinson's, which is the second-most common neurological disorder, affecting more than one million Americans, according to the Parkinson's Foundation. To manage symptoms like tremors, rigidity and slow movement, patients typically take daily oral medications, such as levodopa and carbidopa, according to the university's press release. This method can be especially difficult for individuals who have trouble swallowing or are otherwise unable to take the pills consistently, leading to irregular medication levels, increased side effects and reduced effectiveness. Levodopa is the "gold-standard therapy for Parkinson's," according to lead researcher Professor Sanjay Garg at UniSA, but its short lifespan means it must be taken several times a day. The researchers tested an injectable gel implant that combines an FDA-approved biodegradable substance with a pH-sensitive substance to achieve a controlled and sustained drug release. The gel is injected through a single shot under the skin or into the muscle tissue, which means there's no need for a surgical implant and discomfort is minimal, they noted. The team found that the gel gradually released the key Parkinson's medications (90% of the levodopa drug and 81% of the carbidopa) over the course of one week. The findings were published in the journal Drug Delivery and Translational Research. "Reducing the frequency of dosing from multiple times a day to a weekly injection is a major step forward in Parkinson's therapy," Garg said in the release. "We're not just improving how the drug is delivered; we're improving patients' lives." Extensive lab tests confirmed the system's effectiveness and safety. "We're not just improving how the drug is delivered; we're improving patients' lives." The implant degraded by over 80% within a week and showed no significant toxicity in cell viability tests. "The implications of this research are profound," Garg added. Deepa Nakmode, a PhD student at the University of South Australia, noted that this method is designed to release both levodopa and carbidopa steadily over one week, maintaining consistent plasma levels and reducing the risks associated with fluctuating drug concentrations. "After years of focused research, it's incredibly rewarding to see our innovation in long-acting injectables for Parkinson's disease reach this stage," he said in the release. The team's invention has now been filed for an Australian patent, Nakmode added. The technology could also be adapted for other chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, chronic pain and infections that require long-term drug delivery, according to Garg. The system can be tuned to release drugs over a period ranging from a few days to several weeks, depending on therapeutic needs. For more Health articles, visit Scientists hope to start clinical trials in the near future and are exploring opportunities to make the gel commercially available.
