Parkinson's Research News

February 3, 2026

Top Headlines

A Simple Blood Test Could Spot Parkinson’s Years Before Symptoms

Jan. 29, 2026 Scientists in Sweden and Norway have uncovered a promising way to spot Parkinson’s disease years—possibly decades—before its most damaging symptoms appear. By detecting subtle biological signals in the blood tied to how cells handle stress and ...

Why Long COVID Brain Fog Seems so Much Worse in the U.S.

Jan. 28, 2026 A massive international study of more than 3,100 long COVID patients uncovered a striking divide in how brain-related symptoms are reported around the world. In the U.S., the vast majority of non-hospitalized patients described brain fog, ...

Scientists Found a Survival Switch Inside Brain Cells

Jan. 27, 2026 Findings could create new opportunities to treat and study neurodegenerative diseasesScientists discovered that sugar metabolism plays a surprising role in whether injured neurons collapse or cling to life. By activating internal protective ...

Patients Tried Everything for Depression Then This Implant Changed Their Lives

Jan. 20, 2026 Researchers report that vagus nerve stimulation helped many people with long-standing, treatment-resistant depression feel better—and stay better—for at least two years. Most participants had ...

Scientists Test a Tiny Eye Implant That Could Restore Sight

Jan. 9, 2026 Scientists at USC are launching a new trial to test a tiny stem cell implant that could restore vision in people with advanced dry macular degeneration. The hair-thin patch replaces damaged retinal cells responsible for sharp, central vision. ...

Why Multiple Sclerosis Slowly Steals Balance and Movement

Jan. 6, 2026 Many people with multiple sclerosis struggle with balance and coordination, and this study uncovers a hidden reason why. Researchers found that inflammation in the brain disrupts the energy supply of vital movement-controlling neurons. As their ...

Scientists Discover Why Mental Disorders so Often Overlap

Jan. 3, 2026 A massive global genetics study is reshaping how we understand mental illness—and why diagnoses so often pile up. By analyzing genetic data from more than six million people, researchers uncovered deep genetic connections across 14 psychiatric ...

New Study Finds a Silent Genetic Heart Risk Hidden in Millions

Dec. 8, 2025 A large Mayo Clinic study shows that current guidelines fail to detect nearly 90% of people with familial hypercholesterolemia, a common inherited cause of dangerously high cholesterol. Many affected individuals already had early heart disease but ...

Fast Depression Relief? Nitrous Oxide Shows Remarkable Potential

Dec. 2, 2025 Nitrous oxide may offer quick, short-term relief for people with major depression, especially those who haven’t responded to standard medications. The meta-analysis found rapid improvements after a single dose and more sustained benefits after ...

Scientists Reveal a Hidden Hormone Switch for Learning

Nov. 21, 2025 Researchers uncovered how estrogen subtly reshapes learning by strengthening dopamine reward signals in the brain. Rats learned faster when estrogen levels were high and struggled when the hormone’s activity was blocked. The findings help explain ...

CRISPR Brings Back Ancient Gene That Prevents Gout and Fatty Liver

Nov. 14, 2025 By reactivating a long-lost gene, researchers were able to lower uric acid levels and stop damaging fat accumulation in human liver models. The breakthrough hints at a future where gout and several metabolic diseases could be prevented at the ...

Scientists Find Brain Chemical Tied to Trauma and Depression

Nov. 10, 2025 Researchers identified SGK1 as a key chemical connecting childhood trauma to depression and suicidal behavior. High SGK1 levels were found in the brains of suicide victims and in people with genetic variants linked to early adversity. Drugs that ...

Latest Headlines

updated 3:41am EST

Brain Scans May Finally End the Guesswork in Depression Treatment

Jan. 4, 2026 Researchers compared a traditional Chinese medicine, Yueju Pill, with a standard antidepressant and found both reduced depression symptoms. However, only Yueju Pill increased a brain-supporting ...

Common Antidepressant Found to Work in Just Two Weeks

Nov. 8, 2025 Sertraline (Zoloft) may relieve emotional symptoms of depression and anxiety within two weeks, while physical side effects stabilize later. The research highlights how antidepressants can act on ...

A Groundbreaking Brain Map Could Revolutionize Parkinson’s Treatment

Nov. 3, 2025 Duke-NUS scientists unveiled BrainSTEM, a revolutionary single-cell map that captures the full cellular diversity of the developing human brain. The project’s focus on dopamine neurons provides ...

Your Type of Depression Could Shape Your Body’s Future Health

Oct. 12, 2025 Different types of depression affect the body in different ways. Atypical, energy-related depression raises the risk of diabetes, while melancholic depression increases the likelihood of heart ...

Scientists Uncover Exercise’s Secret Hunger-Busting Molecule

Sep. 20, 2025 Scientists have uncovered how exercise suppresses appetite through a surprising molecular pathway. A compound called Lac-Phe, produced during intense workouts, directly quiets hunger neurons in the ...

Overworked Neurons Burn out and Fuel Parkinson’s Disease

Sep. 3, 2025 Overactivation of dopamine neurons may directly drive their death, explaining why movement-controlling brain cells degenerate in Parkinson’s. Mice with chronically stimulated neurons showed the ...

Fatigue, Anxiety, Pain? They Might Be MS in Disguise

Aug. 2, 2025 New research suggests that multiple sclerosis (MS) may quietly begin affecting the body up to 15 years before the first obvious neurological symptoms appear. Researchers found a steady increase in ...

Not Just Hot Flashes: The Hidden Depression Crisis in Early Menopause

July 17, 2025 Premature menopause isn t just a hormonal issue it s a deeply emotional one for many women. A new study reveals that almost 30% experience depression, and it s not just about hormone loss but also ...

Cough Medicine Turned Brain Protector? Ambroxol May Slow Parkinson’s Dementia

July 6, 2025 Ambroxol, long used for coughs in Europe, stabilized symptoms and brain-damage markers in Parkinson’s dementia patients over 12 months, whereas ...

Parkinson’s Reversal? One Drug Brings Dying Brain Cells Back to Life

July 3, 2025 Stanford researchers discovered that dialing down an overactive enzyme, LRRK2, can regrow lost cellular “antennae” in key brain cells, restoring vital dopamine communication and neuroprotective ...

Scientists Just Found a Sugar Switch That Protects Your Brain from Alzheimer's

June 30, 2025 Scientists have uncovered a surprising sugar-related mechanism inside brain cells that could transform how we fight Alzheimer’s and other dementias. It turns out neurons don’t just store sugar ...

The Molecule That Might Save Your Sight—and Your Heart

June 25, 2025 Washington University researchers found that raising a molecule called ApoM helps eye cells sweep away harmful cholesterol deposits linked to age-related macular degeneration, potentially preventing ...

Parkinson’s May Begin Decades Earlier — and Your Immune System Might Know First

June 27, 2025 Misbehaving T cells light up long before Parkinson’s symptoms show, zeroing in on vulnerable brain proteins. Their early surge could double as an alarm bell and a target for stop-it-early ...

Why Your Diet Might Be Making You Sad--Especially If You're a Man

June 7, 2025 New research reveals a surprising downside to calorie-cutting diets: a link to higher levels of depressive symptoms, especially in men and those who are overweight. Despite popular beliefs that ...

A Switchboard With Precision: How the Brain Licenses Movements

May 28, 2025 Neurons deep in the brain not only help to initiate movement -- they also actively suppress it, and with astonishing precision. The findings are especially relevant for better understanding ...

Promising New Way to Modulate Brain Cell Activity to Potentially Treat Major Depressive Disorder in Adults

May 21, 2025 A mechanism involving potassium channels in the brain that control brain cell activity could provide a new and fundamentally different way of treating depression symptoms in adults with major ...

Can the Brain Be Targeted to Treat Type 2 Diabetes?

May 15, 2025 Successfully treating type 2 diabetes may involve focusing on brain neurons, rather than simply concentrating on obesity or insulin resistance, according to a new study. For several years, ...

Mindfulness Course Effective in People With Difficult-to-Treat Depression

May 14, 2025 Mindfulness-based therapy can offer significant relief for individuals who are still depressed after receiving treatment, according to a new clinical ...

'Sweet Spot' for Focused Ultrasound to Provide Essential Tremor Relief

May 14, 2025 For millions of people around the world with essential tremor, everyday activities from eating and drinking to dressing and doing basic tasks can become impossible. This common neurological movement ...

Postpartum Depression and Bonding: Long-Term Effects on School-Age Children

May 14, 2025 Postpartum maternal mental health and mother-to-infant bonding are well-established as critical factors in a child's psychosocial development. However, few studies have explored the combined ...

Hormone Cycles Shape the Structure and Function of Key Memory Regions in the Brain

May 13, 2025 Hormone levels fluctuate like the tides, ebbing and flowing according to carefully orchestrated cycles. These hormones not only influence the body, but can cross into the brain and shape the behavior ...

May 12, 2025 Researchers confirm and explore the role of estrogen-related receptors in regulating energy production in muscle cells during exercise. The findings indicate that developing a drug to boost ...

Molecular Double Agent: Protein 'Eato' Plays Surprising Role in Protecting the Brain

May 1, 2025 A team of researchers has made a discovery in fruit flies that could change the way we understand brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in humans. The scientists found that Eato ...

Teenage Years Crucial for Depression Intervention

Apr. 29, 2025 Depression in young teens could be easier to treat than in adulthood due to the symptoms being more flexible and not yet ingrained, a study ...

Can Hormone Therapy Improve Heart Health in Menopausal Women?

Apr. 22, 2025 Oral hormone therapy may benefit heart health in menopausal women. A new analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative found that estrogen-based oral hormone therapy had a long-term ...

Father's Mental Health Can Impact Children for Years

Apr. 19, 2025 Five-year-olds exposed to paternal depression are more likely to have behavioral issues in grade school, researchers ...

Cerebral Palsy Medications Given to Adults May Not Match Needs

Apr. 17, 2025 Some medications are seen as a 'fix-all' solution, not addressing the root ...

Golden Eyes: How Gold Nanoparticles May One Day Help to Restore People's Vision

Apr. 16, 2025 A team of researchers has identified a promising new approach that may one day help to restore vision in people affected by macular degeneration and other retinal ...

AI Tool to Better Assess Parkinson's Disease, Other Movement Disorders

Apr. 14, 2025 A groundbreaking open-source computer program uses artificial intelligence to analyze videos of patients with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. The tool, called VisionMD, helps ...

Stress, Depression Factor Into Link Between Insomnia, Heavy Drinking

Apr. 14, 2025 A new study suggests that perceived stress and depression factor into the relationship between insomnia and hazardous drinking -- perhaps not a surprise. But because the relationship between insomnia ...