New Study, Clinical Trial, Focus on Early Parkinson's Disease

Two announcements regarding potential treatments for Parkinson's disease and its complications were published during the past week.

In the first, clinical medicine researchers from Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan have announced that 2.5 mg of risedronate (Actonel™) plus 1,000 IU (International Units) of vitamin D2 can reduce the incidence of hip fractures in elderly men.

In this study 121 patientsreceived a daily dose of 2.5 mg risedronate and vitamin D2 1,000IU for 2 years, and the remaining 121 received placebo and vitaminD2 1,000 IU. At the end of the study there were 9 hip fractures in the placebo group versus only 3 in the treatment group. Additionally, BMD (bone mineral density) increasedby 2.2% in the risedronate group and decreased by 2.9% in theplacebo group. Both of these findings were statistically significant and indicate that the reported increase in bone density was responsible for the lower incidence of hip fractures.

In the second, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, a section of the National Institutes of Health) has announced that it is recruiting volunteers to participate in a Stage III clinical trial involving the possible relationship between the dietary supplement creatine and a slowdown in the rate of progression of Parkinson's disease among those that have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease within the past five years and who have been treated for two years or less with levodopa or other drugs that increase the levels of dopamine in the brain.

Creatine has been marketed for years as a nutritional supplement and several studies have suggested that it can improve the function of mitochondria, which produce energy inside cells and also may act as an antioxidant that prevents damage from compounds that are harmful to cells in the brain. In a mouse model of PD, creatine is able to prevent loss of the cells that are typically affected. However, the creatine that will be used in this study will be an "enhanced" form, manufactured to meet stricter quality requirements, rather than the less stringent over-the-counter standards.

Areas deep within the brain are affected by Parkinson's Disease

Credit: NIH/NIND

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