Month: May 2018

Driving is an essential part of many of our activities of daily living. It is how most of us get to work, school and various appointments; it’s how we travel to and from household and social activities. For many, receiving their driver’s license marked a rite of passage to becoming an adult. Driving gives us … Read more

Researchers who study Parkinson’s disease have long known that dopamine-producing cells in a region of the brain called the substantia nigra are central to the reason why people develop this degenerative illness. When dopamine-producing cells die, their death affects the body’s ability to control movement. But some people also have other symptoms, including a decline … Read more

At the Montreal Neurological Institute, neuroscientist Thomas Durcan studies the mechanisms within the human brain that can be exploited to protect it from the impact of Parkinson’s disease. This work focuses on a protein called Parkin, which removes damaged components from cells, as well as a partner enzyme that appears to guide this protein’s activities. … Read more