Parkinson

2022 - 8 - 8

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Image courtesy of "10TV"

Ohio State track star living with Parkinson's Disease spreading ... (10TV)

Scott Riden is now in a different kind of race, one that's taking him across the U.S. for Parkinson's research.

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Image courtesy of "MedPage Today"

Some 'Dopamine Bean' Supplements Show High Levels of ... (MedPage Today)

A type of supplement known as the "dopamine bean" can contain very high levels of levodopa -- in some cases, higher than prescription formulations used to ...

Nonetheless, he said, excess dopamine "can lead to a wide range of adverse effects including agitation, impulse control disorders, peripheral neuropathies, and orthostatic hypotension." Also, only one sample from each supplement brand was analyzed, so it's unknown whether levodopa doses vary from batch to batch. Cohen said the high doses of levodopa found in these supplements "pose direct challenges to managing patients with Parkinson's disease who are using these supplements. They purchased online the 20 brands most recently added to the database in 2021. Mucuna supplements are "marketed from Amazon to Vitamin Shoppe for their dopamine effects, to help with mood, workouts, focus, energy -- you name it," Cohen said. For Mucuna seed extract, authenticated samples contained 2.5% to 3.9% levodopa.

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Image courtesy of "Yale School of Medicine"

Does Parkinson's Disease Begin in the Gut? (Yale School of Medicine)

New Yale research suggests that several neurodegerative diseases may originate not in the nervous system, but in the gut.

First, by using single cell technologies and taking gut biopsies, they will profile immune cells to better understand the characteristics of the T cells that relay messages from the gut to the brain in various homeostatic states. Studies show, for example, that the activation of specific neurons in the brain in response to inflammation in the gut triggered an immune response in the gut itself. Next, by manipulating the gut microbiome in mice, they hope to illuminate how immune cells in the gut are programmed to send messages to the brain. “The dysfunction of the nervous system that regulates gut function actually precedes the onset of Parkinson’s disease, sometimes by decades,” says Palm. Changes that happen in the central nervous system can also be relayed to the immune system and the gut. Some researchers postulated that motile immune cells in the gut are programmed to move to places they’re needed within the body to fulfill these purposes.

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Image courtesy of "SooToday"

Cycling journey a form of medicine for bikers with Parkinson's (SooToday)

Members of the Rigid Riders are passing through the Sault and biking towards St. John's as part of their cross Canada Spinning Wheels Tour.

“We want this to be the starting point,” he says. “It’s easy to fall into the depression and despair,” Redmond adds. “In the shadows, Parkinson’s gets overlooked,” he says. “You lose your confidence,” he says. “Not everyone has it, but enough do have it that it’s common.” Because the diagnosis and its features can create feelings of shame, the team explains that many impacted individuals will go into hiding.

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