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.

Dementia with Lewy bodies: why are some brain regions more affected than others?

University of Montreal
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team has shown that the cortical thinning caused by the disease follows a precise pattern, linked to specific genes and neurotransmitters and to the architecture of brain connections.

Journal: Journal of Biomedical Science
Funder: Parkinson Canada, Alzheimer Society, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

26-Aug-2026

Gut bacteria may communicate differently with the human body in patients with Parkinson’s disease

University of Oulu, Finland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the University of Oulu suggests that gut bacteria may send different biological signals in Parkinson’s disease. The findings add to growing evidence that changes in the gut could be linked to Parkinson’s disease and may eventually help researchers identify new underlying mechanisms for the condition.

Journal: iScience

25-Aug-2026

Critical Path for Parkinson’s announces milestone publication highlighting FDA support for novel biomarker to advance precision medicine strategies

Critical Path Institute (C-Path)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Critical Path Institute today announced the publication of “Regulatory endorsement for the application of alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (αSyn-SAA) as a susceptibility and risk biomarker for clinical trials targeting synucleinopathies” in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, marking a significant milestone for its Critical Path for Parkinson’s consortium. Published findings detail scientific, regulatory, and collaborative efforts culminating in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) biomarker Letter of Support for this work.

25-Aug-2026

Emergency diagnoses linked to poorer outcomes across wide range of conditions

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Patients diagnosed with conditions after an emergency hospital admission or an emergency room visit face a higher risk of death than those diagnosed in non-emergency settings, according to a large population-based study by Emma Whitfield and colleagues from University College London, UK, published August 25^th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

Journal: PLOS Medicine

21-Aug-2026

Tiny toxic protein clumps may hold the key to developing early diagnosis and new therapies for protein-misfolding diseases like Alzheimer’s

University of Southern Denmark
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Many diseases, including Alzheimer's, ALS and type 2 diabetes, are driven by proteins that misfold and clump together. A new review highlights growing evidence that the greatest harm may come from small protein clumps known as oligomers, which appear early in the disease process, long before larger deposits become visible.

Journal: Nature Reviews Chemistry

20-Aug-2026

Are predatory brain immune cells eating nerve cells in ALS?

Salk Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Salk scientists discover that central nervous system-resident immune cells called microglia use TAM receptors (discovered by study senior author Greg Lemke in 1991) to eat specific nerve cells in mouse model of ALS. The study is the first to show TAM receptors can be used to kill living nerve cells, and the findings contribute to ongoing efforts to harness TAM receptors in clinical settings to treat cancers, autoimmune disorders, and more.

Journal: Nature Communications

19-Aug-2026

New Barrow study links living near dry cleaners to increased likelihood of Parkinson’s disease

Dignity Health Arizona
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People living near dry cleaners may have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease according to a new nationwide study led by researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

The study was recently published in npj Parkinson’s Disease as an unedited manuscript to provide early access to the findings. The final version will be published following further editorial review.

Journal: npj Parkinson s Disease

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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