Movement disorders articles from across Nature Portfolio

An exploratory analysis of the 1-year clinical trial PASADENA in individuals with early-stage Parkinson’s disease suggests that prasinezumab might reduce motor signs progression to a greater extent in those with more rapidly progressing disease.

Whole-genome sequencing in a Canadian cohort of 327 children with cerebral palsy compared to pediatric controls identifies novel pathogenic single-nucleotide variants/indels and copy number variations. In addition, mitochondrial variants in known disease genes were identified. This highlights the importance of genomic testing for individuals with cerebral palsy.

The recent approval of omaveloxolone for the treatment of Friedreich ataxia in the USA and Europe represents an important milestone in the field of rare neurological diseases. However, many challenges lie ahead, including the translation of trial results into clinical practice, and the management of patients’ expectations.

A new study has found evidence of α-synuclein aggregates — a key pathological hallmark of Parkinson disease — in the gut and brain in people and animals with inflammatory bowel disease.

Brain connections modulated by 534 deep-brain-stimulation electrodes revealed a gradient of circuits involved in dystonia, Parkinson’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Together, these circuits begin to describe the human ‘dysfunctome’, a library of dysfunctional circuits that lead to various brain disorders.

Glyphosate, a controversial herbicide, has been approved for use in the European Union for another 10 years despite uncertainty over whether it increases the risk of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson disease. We call for new approaches to assessing the neurotoxicity of glyphosate and other pesticides and improving their regulation.