Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 7h

Can a brain parasite move us? YES. Movement disorders can present as part of a Toxoplasmosis infection. What is Toxo? Garg and colleagues describe in a new paper in Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements how central toxoplasmosis can cause a wide spectrum of movement disorders like hemichorea.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 1d

Are there clues we are missing in the gut? Spoiler alert: Microbiome differences in Parkinson’s vs isolated REM sleep behavior disorder. The intestinal microbiota refers to the trillions of microorganisms living in our gut that play critical roles in digestion, immunity and possibly brain health.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 2d

What’s on the health supplement label matters. A structure and function claim refers to language describing how a nutrient supports normal body function, for example it states supports brain health w/o stating that it prevents/treats a disease. We should teach people about this and let them choose.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 3d

Do you know how a quaking idea reshaped neuroscience, prion and the Parkinson's field? We must reflect on the discoveries that triggered shifts in a field, like the α-synuclein seeding assay for Parkinson’s.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 5d

Should we be stimulating the old vagus nerve (e.g. VNS) to steady movement and quiet inflammation in Parkinson’s and beyond? How about a 2025 update? The vagus nerve is the major parasympathetic highway linking brainstem nuclei to body organs and it can be electrically stimulated!

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 5d

New nationwide data links TCE exposure to higher Parkinson’s risk. Trichloroethylene or TCE is a widely used industrial solvent and environmental contaminant that can be found in air, soil and water. New paper: TCE associated w/ increased risk of Parkinson’s in older adults across USA.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 6d

Anti-amyloid therapy moves to 'the home' as the FDA approves subcutaneous maintenance dosing for Alzheimer’s disease. Could this be the beginning of a shift in the treatment landscape for Alzheimer’s disease. @alzassociation.bsky.social

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 7d

Do you know how genes and the environment shape Parkinson’s disease? Does the time (or the temporal sequence) of events matter? Genetic risk factors unfold over time, interact w/ environmental exposures and may contribute to the many ways Parkinson’s disease shows itself. @thelancet.com

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 8d

KevinMD just dropped a post on expanding the Parkinson’s universe of care for persons w/ Parkinson’s, caregivers, clinicians and communities. The post is focused on an excerpt from the just published book, the Parkinson’s Plan www.pdplan.org

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 9d

Could the Parkinson’s drug levodopa prime the brain to respond better to intensive rehabilitation following a stroke or injury? Enter the idea: Let’s give dopamine pills after a stroke? Spoiler alert: This new large, randomized trial published in JAMA revealed no added benefit in recovery.

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Reposted by Michael Okun

Tamim Ahsan @tamim-ahsan.bsky.social · 11d

🚨 TWO great news in medical science 🧪

1️⃣ A gene therapy targeting Huntington's Disease has shown significant success in a small clinical trial by slowing down the progression of the disease.

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doi.org/10.1038/d415...

Huntington’s disease treated for first time using gene therapy

Preliminary results from a small trial offer the clearest evidence yet that the brain disease’s progression can be slowed.

doi.org

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 9d

Having a PLAN for how you live will indeed shape your brain: New JAMA randomized trial linked lifestyle to potentially slowing cognitive decline. Baker and colleagues describe how a trial tested structured vs self-guided lifestyle programs in over 2,000 older adults at risk for dementia.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 11d

How heritable is autism when compared to Parkinson’s? Pearson in Nature: autism’s heritability has been estimated at about 80%, similar to the characteristic of height. Reading this article about autism got me thinking about Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s heritability it is substantially lower ~20%+.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 11d

Walking 7000 steps a day may help you live longer and stronger. I am on the West coast for a book tour and on all 4 stops this 'one' keeps coming up and it comes in at #21 on our Parkinson's 25 in the Parkinson's Plan Book www.pdplan.org

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 12d

Do you know about the ripples in your brain important for memory? Ripples are brief bursts of high-frequency brain activity (80–150 Hz) that last about 20–100 milliseconds and are thought to help link and replay patterns of neural activity that support your memory.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 13d

A gene therapy buzz: Did AMT-130 really slow Huntington's disease by 75% at 36 months? A press release say YES. The data not yet been subjected to peer review and publication.
uniqure.gcs-web.com/news-release...

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 14d

Check out this paper that unlocked the human brain networks behind tics. The research team recorded signals during tic and tic-free states revealing the rhythms that seem to drive tic generation. What was cool was that all participants had brain leads placed into two different regions.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 15d

Boom: The results of the ADAPT-PD personalized brain stimulation trial showed promise for treating Parkinson’s. First longer-term results for adaptive DBS in PD. Adaptive stimulation automatically adjusts in real time to a person’s brain signals. @parkinsondotorg.bsky.social

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 16d

Should we be poking more holes in the brain-first vs body-first Parkinson’s theory? The brain-first body-first hypothesis suggests Parkinson’s may begin in either the brain (olfactory bulb or amygdala) or the body (gut, skin, kidney) and then spread. Espay and Lees describe the evidence.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 16d

What is the update for skin biopsies to differentiate Parkinson's vs. MSA? Spoiler alert: under confocal microscope, skin biopsies look different in PD vs MSA. Donadio and colleagues describe in a new paper in Brain the uses of intraneural phosphorylated α-synuclein. @parkinsondotorg.bsky.social

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 17d

The book, The Parkinson’s Plan is back on Oprah Daily w/ 7 practical tips for prevention and for brain health. Prevention means identifying risks and taking action, before symptoms start. How about shifting care models toward prevention and lifestyle interventions?
www.oprahdaily.com/life/health/...

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 18d

A 2025 update on 'multi-site neurostimulation' and how it is making its move into the treatment toolbox for Parkinson's, Tourette, OCD and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Neurostimulation means using electricity to modulate brain networks and also using it to reduce symptoms of brain diseases.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 19d

How long does a Parkinson’s tremor stay on one side of the body? Spoiler alert: In more than half of cases it stays on one side. Tremor, which usually begins on one side, may spread across the body over time. In science terms, contralateral simply means moving to the opposite side of the body.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 20d

A surprising result from a randomized treatment trial of an ataxia treatment: high intensity aerobic exercise beat out simple balance training. Until now, treatment has focused mainly on balance training. The new randomized study found something unexpected.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 20d

Air pollution and Lewy body dementia: A wake-up call. A new study published in Science revealed that fine particle pollution (PM2.5) does not simply worsen general dementia risk. It may directly promote Lewy body dementia (LBD). @sfn.org

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