EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Parkinson’s Disease

This month, we’re spotlighting Parkinson’s disease research in recognition of Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Here, we’ll share the latest research on Parkinson’s disease, how scientists are working to better understand its causes and progression, advances in treatment and care, and more.

New study reveals timing of brain surgery is crucial for preserving memory and thinking in genetically defined Parkinson’s patients

Hackensack Meridian Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The timing of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery is a critical factor in preserving cognitive function for Parkinson’s disease patients with a specific genetic mutation, according to a new study by an international team of researchers.

Journal: Movement Disorders

6-Oct-2026

C-Path partners with University of Arizona on translational research of Parkinson’s disease in women

Critical Path Institute (C-Path)
Business Announcement

Critical Path Institute today announced a research collaboration with the University of Arizona to investigate the cellular mechanisms that drive Parkinson’s disease in women. The two-year project, led by Lalitha Madhavan, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Neurology, at the University of Arizona, will compare brain cells grown from women and men living with Parkinson’s to look for biological differences that may help explain why the disease presents and progresses differently between the sexes.

24-Sep-2026

Mount Sinai researchers identify how APOE4 gene damages brain blood vessels in Alzheimer’s disease

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Two studies using human brain tissue and miBrains, a stem cell-derived human brain model, reveal how APOE4 promotes vascular scarring and abnormal protein buildup, pointing to potential therapeutic targets

Journal: Cell

23-Sep-2026

Experimental drug reverses paralysis, vision loss in multiple sclerosis model

University of Virginia Health System
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An experimental drug has not only stopped but reversed paralysis and vision loss in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The results are striking because existing MS treatments are designed to reduce future inflammatory attacks, not restore neurological function already lost.

Funder: University of Virginia Strategic Investment Fund, Mr. and Mrs. Eli W. Tullis

23-Sep-2026

Nine studies led by Mount Sinai investigators featured in coordinated collection of papers that map the molecular and cellular architecture of brain disorders

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Large-scale studies across the Nature journals create one of the world’s most comprehensive single-cell atlases of Alzheimer’s disease and related neuropsychiatric conditions

Journal: Nature
Funder: National Institutes of Health

16-Sep-2026

The 2026 Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize awarded to Jun Takahashi

Gladstone Institutes
Grant and Award Announcement

Jun Takahashi, MD, PhD, has been awarded the 2026 Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize by Gladstone Institutes. He was selected for pioneering the translation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell biology into regenerative therapies for Parkinson’s disease, culminating in the world’s first clinical approval for iPS cell-derived cell transplantation.

16-Sep-2026

JMIR Publications’ JMIR Neurotechnology invites submissions on digital health technologies in Parkinson disease: Measurement, intervention, and validation

JMIR Publications
Business Announcement

JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new theme issue on “Digital Health Technologies in Parkinson Disease” in its open access journal JMIR Neurotechnology.

10-Sep-2026

A new Stowers Institute brain atlas shows neurons don’t inherit their identity — they build it in their first hours of life

Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A first-of-its-kind developmental brain atlas from the Stowers Institute maps both gene activity and the DNA switches controlling it across 232,251 cells, revealing that neuronal identity is rapidly established after birth rather than simply inherited from a parent stem cell.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Stowers Institute for Medical Research

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

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