Old Westbury, NY – Researchers at New York Institute of Technology's College of Osteopathic Medicine and its Adele Smithers Parkinson's Disease Treatment Center are using a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation to study the effects of a common vitamin supplement on patients with Parkinson's disease.

With a $75,000 grant, the NYIT study is examining the effects of tyrosine, a natural amino acid, on the low blood pressure, or hypotension, of 36 patients. The researchers believe that patients who take tyrosine supplements may avoid hypotension, a condition often exacerbated by common Parkinson's medicines. The low blood pressure may lead patients to fall or faint when they switch positions or move in a certain way.

"Positive findings—that supplemental tyrosine increases blood pressure and heart rate response, can lead to new therapies to improve the hypotension seen in Parkinson's patients," said Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue, Ph.D., RCEP, an exercise physiologist at the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and principal investigator of the study.

"Receiving a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation is a great honor," she said. "The fact that they saw fit to fund our experiment adds to the credibility of the research we are doing here at the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine."

DiFrancisco-Donoghue has focused her research on Parkinson's disease, vitamin supplementation, and the cardiovascular system. Most recently, she worked on a study that demonstrated that B vitamins and exercise improve markers of health in Parkinson's disease.

Citing a 2010 study, DiFrancisco-Donoghue said that more than 63% of Parkinson's disease patients use nutritional supplements but fewer than half of them tell their neurologist what they are taking. Only about 4% are aware that certain supplements can interact with drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease.

"There is a need for quality research focusing on alternative therapies to understand safety and effectiveness," DiFrancisco-Donoghue said. "Large well-respected scientific organizations are looking at alternative therapies. If these results are positive, patients can go over the counter and buy supplements that help them with their symptoms – under a doctor's care of course."

Other NYIT researchers on the project are William Werner, PT, Ed.D., and Ely Rabin, Ph.D. Dr Andrew Feigin, associate director of clinical research at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, is acting as a consultant for the medical aspects of the study.

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