Creatine for Parkinson’s Disease?
In 2007, scientists at Rush University Medical Center began conducting a clinical trial to determine whether taking a creatine supplement can slow the progression of PD. The study is still in developing, as scientists assert it requires several years of observation to accurately determine creatine's effect on disease progression. Results are expected sometime in 2012.

http://ping.fm/YAcWA

New Hope for Long-Term Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

Few treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD) restore function for any extensive period of time. In a new study published in the premiere issue of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, an international group of researchers report that platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) restored function in rodents and shows promise as a clinical candidate drug for treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

http://ping.fm/TxBsP

New Study Suggests “Friendly Fire” As Possible Cause of Parkinson’s Disease

A team of researchers from the University of Florida published a new study suggesting that the pathway located at the base of the brain that is essential for the execution of smooth, coordinated movements may be selectively damaged by the friendly fire of the body’s immune response.

http://ping.fm/nl4Pn

Researchers release specific exercise recommendations designed to protect against falls.
Physicians in Otago, New Zealand, discovered that a regular combination of strength and balance exercises significantly reduced falls in those who are 65 and older. The recommended exercise program consists of progressive resistance and balance training done three times a week and walking with supervision for 30 minutes twice a week.

http://ping.fm/u8bkU

Melanoma and Parkinson’s Disease?
New data analysis suggests Parkinson’s disease patients have double the risk of developing the skin cancer melanoma.
http://ping.fm/0fi7k

Could what you eat influence dopamine levels? Researchers attempt to find out what connection if any, can be made between diet and dopamine production.
New research is uncovering the efficacy of dietary nutritional compounds as modulators of the dopaminergic system, with the hopes that certain foods may supplement the dopamine-producing effects of Levodopa.

http://ping.fm/MTjCd

Keeping Neurons Alive!
An upcoming clinical trial will attempt to solve problems that have plagued one potentially promising Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment.

A pending clinical trial has researchers at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) hopeful about evolving the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. If the study receives final FDA-approval, human subjects will receive experimental gene therapy using glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a protein that helps keep neurons alive.

http://ping.fm/tn5uc