Washington D.C.: A study on animals has revealed that a drug called felodipine prescribed for high blood pressure could treat conditions such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and forms of dementia.

A common feature of these diseases- collectively known as neurodegenerative diseases- is the build-up of misfolded proteins. These proteins, such as huntingtin in Huntington's disease and tau in some dementias, form 'aggregates' that can cause irreversible damage to nerve cells in the brain.