The Parkinson’s Research Podcast: New Discoveries in Neuroscience

A substantial portion of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have a family history of the disease, and new findings continue to improve our understanding of relevant genetic variants. These discoveries are key for clarifying the mechanisms that lead to Parkinson's disease as well as the development of new therapies. The Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2) was established to gather and integ...

A growing body of evidence is expanding our understanding of the links between inflammation, our immune responses, brain health, and neurodegeneration. In particular, several genes associated with Parkinson's (including LRRK2) are known to be involved in inflammation, and peripheral inflammation has been shown to influence brain function and contribute to the development of neurodegenerative...

Mutations in the LRRK2 gene were first linked to Parkinson's disease (PD) risk in 2004. Since then, researchers from around the world have advanced our understanding of the mechanisms through which LRRK2 may contribute to PD, leading to the development of three potential LRRK2-targeted therapies that are now being evaluated in clinical trials. Along with colleagues and collaborators, Dr. Dario Ale...

For decades, researchers, clinicians, and industry professionals have continued to study and optimize deep brain stimulation (DBS) with the goal of providing the best possible personalized treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurological conditions. In this episode, Dr. Michael Okun joins us to discuss his research and some of the recent advances in deep brain stimulation and other ar...

Sleep impacts our lives in many different ways, and Dr. Amy Amara joins us in this episode to discuss her career and findings from her research on sleep in Parkinson’s disease (PD). She shares her insights on the characteristics of sleep in people with Parkinson’s disease, how sleep can be impacted by exercise, medications, and deep brain stimulation, and how studying rapid eye movement (REM) slee...

In this episode, serial entrepreneur Dr. Karoly Nikolich shares his perspectives on the industry side of the state of neuroscience, as well as areas of opportunity and the role of industry in advancing the field. He also discusses recent major breakthroughs, the importance of industry partnerships, including collaborations with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), and how he is working to advance...

New research advances are expanding our knowledge of Parkinson's disease and bringing us closer to the ultimate goals of new treatments, effective cures, and disease prevention. In this introductory episode, you'll hear from Dr. Brian Fiske and Dr. Mark Frasier, Co-Chief Scientific Officers at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). During the conversation, they provide thei...