Roger A. Barker
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View article: Clinical trial highlights: Dopamine cell-replacement therapies
Clinical trial highlights: Dopamine cell-replacement therapies Open
Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder, which is characterised by motor features, many of which relate to the loss of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway. The use of grafted cells to replace the lost dopaminergic neu…
View article: rs6971 TSPO polymorphism in Parkinson's disease
rs6971 TSPO polymorphism in Parkinson's disease Open
View article: Cell transplantation therapies in Huntington’s disease – Current status and future directions
Cell transplantation therapies in Huntington’s disease – Current status and future directions Open
View article: Phosphoproteomic profiling reveals post-translational dysregulation in Huntington’s disease patient-derived neurons
Phosphoproteomic profiling reveals post-translational dysregulation in Huntington’s disease patient-derived neurons Open
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the Huntingtin ( HTT ) gene. Although transcriptomic and proteomic changes have been characterized in patient-derived neurons, the contribu…
View article: A molecular atlas of cell-type specific signatures in the parkinsonian striatum
A molecular atlas of cell-type specific signatures in the parkinsonian striatum Open
Summary The progressive degeneration of dopaminergic projections to the striatum is a key disease mechanism in Parkinson’s disease (PD). To define the cellular landscape in the parkinsonian striatum, we mapped the cell-type specific transc…
View article: Activation of transposable elements is linked to a region- and cell-type-specific interferon response in Parkinson’s disease
Activation of transposable elements is linked to a region- and cell-type-specific interferon response in Parkinson’s disease Open
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disorder involving a neuroinflammatory response, the cause of which remains unclear. Transposable elements (TE) have been linked to inflammatory states, but their potential…
View article: Stem cell-derived dopamine cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease: what have the first trials shown?
Stem cell-derived dopamine cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease: what have the first trials shown? Open
This scientific commentary refers to ‘Phase I/II trial of iPS-cell-derived dopaminergic cells for Parkinson’s disease’ by Sawamoto et al. (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08700-0) and ‘Phase I trial of hES cell-derived dopaminergic neur…
View article: LINE-1 retrotransposons mediate cis-acting transcriptional control in human pluripotent stem cells and regulate early brain development
LINE-1 retrotransposons mediate cis-acting transcriptional control in human pluripotent stem cells and regulate early brain development Open
Long interspersed nuclear element 1 (L1) retrotransposons represent a vast source of genetic variability. However, mechanistic analysis of whether and how L1s contribute to human developmental programs is lacking, in part due to the challe…
View article: Pharmacological and pupillary evidence for the noradrenergic contribution to reinforcement learning in Parkinson’s disease
Pharmacological and pupillary evidence for the noradrenergic contribution to reinforcement learning in Parkinson’s disease Open
Noradrenaline plays an integral role in learning by optimising behavioural strategies and facilitating choice execution. Testing the noradrenergic framework of learning in the context of human diseases offers a test bed for current normati…
View article: Organotypic Timelapse recording with Transcriptomic Readout (OTTR) links cell behaviour to cell identity in human tissues
Organotypic Timelapse recording with Transcriptomic Readout (OTTR) links cell behaviour to cell identity in human tissues Open
Linking dynamic cellular behaviour to molecular states in intact human tissue remains challenging because during live imaging only limited molecular information can be captured while high-dimensional molecular measurements are destructive.…
View article: Single-cell transcriptomics identifies chondrocyte differentiation dynamics in vivo and in vitro
Single-cell transcriptomics identifies chondrocyte differentiation dynamics in vivo and in vitro Open
Developing in vitro chondrocytes that replicate in vivo development would benefit musculoskeletal disease modeling and regenerative medicine. Although current methodologies have made progress, challenges such as off-target differentiation …
View article: Cell atlas of the developing human meninges reveals a dura origin of meningioma
Cell atlas of the developing human meninges reveals a dura origin of meningioma Open
SUMMARY The vertebrate central nervous system is enveloped by the meninges, consisting of the pia, arachnoid, and dura layers. The arachnoid is hypothesised to give rise to the most common primary intracranial tumours, meningiomas. However…
View article: Beta-adrenoceptor drugs and progression to Parkinson’s disease milestones in a large pooled incident cohort
Beta-adrenoceptor drugs and progression to Parkinson’s disease milestones in a large pooled incident cohort Open
Beta-adrenoceptor-blockers and agonists have been associated with an increased and decreased risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), respectively. We aimed to investigate whether these medications are linked to clinical heterogeneity and progres…
View article: Deep brain stimulation is well tolerated and effective following ProSavin® gene therapy for Parkinson's disease
Deep brain stimulation is well tolerated and effective following ProSavin® gene therapy for Parkinson's disease Open
View article: Three-dimensional cell-cell interactions promote direct reprogramming of patient fibroblasts into functional and transplantable neurons
Three-dimensional cell-cell interactions promote direct reprogramming of patient fibroblasts into functional and transplantable neurons Open
Direct reprogramming of somatic cells into induced neurons (iNs) has become an attractive strategy for the generation of patient-specific neurons for disease modeling and regenerative neuroscience. To this end, adult human dermal fibroblas…
View article: Genetic Analysis of the X Chromosome Associates Loci with Progression of Parkinson's Disease
Genetic Analysis of the X Chromosome Associates Loci with Progression of Parkinson's Disease Open
Background Genetic variants on the X chromosome have been linked to susceptibility for Parkinson's disease (PD), but their roles in disease progression remain unclear. Objectives This study investigated associations between X chromosome va…
View article: Impact of Y chromosome loss on the risk of Parkinson's disease and progression
Impact of Y chromosome loss on the risk of Parkinson's disease and progression Open
G.L.'s work is supported by the Shenzhen Fundamental Research Program (JCYJ20240813151132042), National Natural Science Foundation of China (32270701, 32470708), Young Talent Recruitment Project of Guangdong (2019QN01Y139), the Science and…
View article: The TransEuro open-label trial of human fetal ventral mesencephalic transplantation in patients with moderate Parkinson’s disease
The TransEuro open-label trial of human fetal ventral mesencephalic transplantation in patients with moderate Parkinson’s disease Open
Transplantation of human fetal ventral mesencephalic tissue in individuals with Parkinson’s disease has yielded clinical benefits but also side effects, such as graft-induced dyskinesias. The open-label TransEuro trial ( NCT01898390 ) was …
View article: A 14‐Year Study of Serum Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Total Tau in Premanifest Huntington's
A 14‐Year Study of Serum Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Total Tau in Premanifest Huntington's Open
There is a pressing need for blood biomarkers that can identify Huntington's disease (HD) gene carriers' proximity to manifest disease. We previously examined serial serum neurofilament light (NfL) concentrations in 21 premanifest HD gene …
View article: Treatment Selection and Prioritization for the <scp>EJS ACT</scp>‐<scp>PD MAMS</scp> Trial Platform
Treatment Selection and Prioritization for the <span>EJS ACT</span>‐<span>PD MAMS</span> Trial Platform Open
Background There are currently no disease‐modifying therapies (DMTs) registered for Parkinson's disease (PD). The Edmond J. Safra Accelerating Clinical Trials in Parkinson Disease (EJS ACT‐PD) initiative will expedite clinical assessment o…
View article: Erythrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles transcytose across the blood-brain barrier to induce Parkinson’s disease-like neurodegeneration
Erythrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles transcytose across the blood-brain barrier to induce Parkinson’s disease-like neurodegeneration Open
View article: Mental Health Profile Relating to Suicide Crises Among Women in and Around Pregnancy and Surgical Termination of Pregnancy: A Data Linkage Study
Mental Health Profile Relating to Suicide Crises Among Women in and Around Pregnancy and Surgical Termination of Pregnancy: A Data Linkage Study Open
Introduction This article presents an assessment of the mental health profile of women who were the subject of a suicide‐related call to police or paramedics around the time of (i) pregnancy or (ii) surgical termination of pregnancy compar…
View article: Immunohistochemistry Protocol (brain post-mortem tissue) v1
Immunohistochemistry Protocol (brain post-mortem tissue) v1 Open
This protocol details the immunohistochemistry steps for antibody blocking over a period of 2 days.
View article: Tau levels in platelets isolated from Huntington’s disease patients serve as a biomarker of disease severity
Tau levels in platelets isolated from Huntington’s disease patients serve as a biomarker of disease severity Open
Tau is a microtubule protein that is known to be hyperphosphorylated and to aggregate in several chronic neurodegenerative disorders. In many cases, in particular in Alzheimer’s disease, the degree of tau pathology has been demonstrated to…
View article: Investigation of Suffocation Mechanisms in the Infant Sleep Environment Using a Mechanical Breathing Model Simulation
Investigation of Suffocation Mechanisms in the Infant Sleep Environment Using a Mechanical Breathing Model Simulation Open
Mattress firmness has long been recognized as a protective factor for sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) with mandatory infant mattress firmness regulations enforced by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) since August 2022.…
View article: LINE-1 retrotransposons regulate the exit of human pluripotency and early brain development
LINE-1 retrotransposons regulate the exit of human pluripotency and early brain development Open
Long interspersed nuclear element 1 (L1) retrotransposons represent a vast source of divergent genetic information. However, mechanistic analysis of whether and how L1s contribute to human developmental programs is lacking, in part due to …
View article: Mapping the distribution of neurotransmitters to resting-state functional connectivity in Parkinson’s disease
Mapping the distribution of neurotransmitters to resting-state functional connectivity in Parkinson’s disease Open
Dopamine and serotonin are two major monoamine neurotransmitters associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), but their spatial distribution and relationship to underlying functional brain architecture are not fully understood. We assessed 30…
View article: The Association between Socioeconomic Deprivation and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Syndromes and Parkinson's Disease
The Association between Socioeconomic Deprivation and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Syndromes and Parkinson's Disease Open
View article: Sleep abnormalities are associated with greater cognitive deficits and disease activity in Huntington's disease: a 12-year polysomnographic study
Sleep abnormalities are associated with greater cognitive deficits and disease activity in Huntington's disease: a 12-year polysomnographic study Open
Increasing evidence suggests that the sleep pathology associated with neurodegenerative diseases can in turn exacerbate both the cognitive deficits and underlying pathobiology of these conditions. Treating sleep may therefore bear signific…
View article: An update on immune-based alpha-synuclein trials in Parkinson’s disease
An update on immune-based alpha-synuclein trials in Parkinson’s disease Open
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent, chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterised by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and other brain regions. The aggregation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) into Lewy…