READERS' CHOICE: Most Read Posts & Discussions -June, 2009

In our first month over 1000 scientists and funders have registered as members, and the site has had over 75,000 page views. Here are the most often read Research Question threads and Posts during June, 2009.

Research Question discussions:

• Does GDNF still have potential as a treatment for Parkinson's disease? (20 responses)

• How can we improve brain delivery of trophic factors? The Myth of Convection Enhanced Delivery? (5 responses)

• Smoking has been determined as the most significant 'protective' environmental factor for risk of developing Parkinson's disease. How should we leverage this finding to develop novel therapeutic strategies? (3 responses)

• Which neuroimaging techniques are the most useful for understanding the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease? (6 responses)
  

• Could different types of exercise (e.g. aerobic versus strength training) offer different outcomes from a neurological or symptomatic standpoint? (3 responses)

• What are the potential PD subtypes, and how do they differ clinically and/or genetically? (5 responses)

• What are the best tools for detecting and isolating LRRK2 protein? (4 responses)

Individual Posts:

1. First published Lrrk2 mutation mouse model of PD: Q&A with Dr. Chenjian Li - Dr. Kirsten Carlson and Dr. Chenjian Li

2. On the GDNF controversy - Dr. Jose Lanciego

3. Factors Affecting Drug Distribution through Infustion - The Infusion Physics Study Group

4. LRRK2 Antibodies: Technical problems and what we still need to know - Dr. Andrew West

5. Can functional imaging be used as a biomarker for PD? - Dr. Vijay Dhawan, Dr. Martin Niethammer, and Dr. David Eidelberg

6. Interview with Dr. J. William Langston: iPS cells as disease models - Dr. Michael T. Rogan, Dr. Holli Kawadler, and Dr. J. William Langston

7. Cell Death by Dopamine, Calcium and Alpha-synuclein: Q&A with Dr. David Sulzer - Dr. Mark Frasier and Dr. David Sulzer

8. What is CED? - The Infusion Physics Study Group

9. There is enough evidence to warrant development of a clinical trial of tobacco extract in PD patients - Dr. Xiang Gao and Dr. Alberto Ascherio

10. Role of Complex 1 Deficiency in Parkinson's Disease - Dr. Etienne C. Hirsch