Neuroscience
April is National Parkinson's Awareness Month.
Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, has no known cause in most cases. Medically, Parkinson’s has been traced to the death of dopamine-generating cells in the midbrain, once again for causes that are largely unknown.
According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, this chronic and progressive movement disorder affects nearly one million people in the United States alone. Men are one and half times more likely to get the disease than women.
The relatively well-known symptoms are usually characterized at first by movement-related issues, including shaking, rigidity, and slowness of walk or gait. In time, cognitive and behavioral difficulties may occur, sometimes followed by sensory and emotional problems.
Unfortunately, there is no objective test, or biomarker, for Parkinson’s. Because of this, the rate of misdiagnosis can be high. There is also no preventive course to reduce the risk of its onset.
Penn neurosurgeons are pioneers in the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS). This life-changing procedure can greatly reduce motor symptoms that accompany Parkinson's disease or other conditions and improve patients' abilities to perform daily activities. More than 900 patients have received DBS treatment at Penn, making it one of the largest treatment centers in the United States.
Learn more about Parkinson's Disease.
- Parkinson's: Wii-hab And Symptom Improvement
From The Times (UK): The latest Parkinson’s treatment: Wii-hab Parkinson’s disease symptoms could be controlled by a game that can be bought on every high street, says a recent study Simon Crompton 21 September 2009 [snip] This summer, the Medical...
- Rasagiline And Parkinson's Disease
From the FDA on the 17th of May: FDA Approves New Treatment for Parkinson's Disease The Food and Drug Administration today approved Azilect (rasagiline), a new molecular entity, for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The drug is a monoamine...
- Parkinson Disease: Lrrk2, Park8, And Dardarin
From the BBC: Target found for Parkinson's test A gene mutation which could be behind one in 25 cases of Parkinson's disease has been discovered by scientists. It is hoped the findings could lead to the earlier detection of the disease...
- In The Weeklies
This week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (09 December 2004) includes two research papers and one editorial comment on topics concerning Parkinson disease: Levodopa and the Progression of Parkinson's Disease by The Parkinson...
- Deep Brain Stimulation: Battling Parkinson’s Disease
Please note: This is part one of a four-part series. There was something very important Steve Zabielski knew, which he decided not to share with his wife for the best of reasons. So he shielded her from the truth. For five years. “I just couldn’t...
Neuroscience
Awareness Month: Parkinson’s Disease
April is National Parkinson's Awareness Month.
Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, has no known cause in most cases. Medically, Parkinson’s has been traced to the death of dopamine-generating cells in the midbrain, once again for causes that are largely unknown.
According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, this chronic and progressive movement disorder affects nearly one million people in the United States alone. Men are one and half times more likely to get the disease than women.
The relatively well-known symptoms are usually characterized at first by movement-related issues, including shaking, rigidity, and slowness of walk or gait. In time, cognitive and behavioral difficulties may occur, sometimes followed by sensory and emotional problems.
Unfortunately, there is no objective test, or biomarker, for Parkinson’s. Because of this, the rate of misdiagnosis can be high. There is also no preventive course to reduce the risk of its onset.
Treating Parkinson’s
Although there is no cure, physicians have had success in managing symptoms with medication and various treatments. These medications and treatments help to supplement the lack of natural dopamine generation for a period of time.Penn neurosurgeons are pioneers in the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS). This life-changing procedure can greatly reduce motor symptoms that accompany Parkinson's disease or other conditions and improve patients' abilities to perform daily activities. More than 900 patients have received DBS treatment at Penn, making it one of the largest treatment centers in the United States.
Learn more about Parkinson's Disease.
- Parkinson's: Wii-hab And Symptom Improvement
From The Times (UK): The latest Parkinson’s treatment: Wii-hab Parkinson’s disease symptoms could be controlled by a game that can be bought on every high street, says a recent study Simon Crompton 21 September 2009 [snip] This summer, the Medical...
- Rasagiline And Parkinson's Disease
From the FDA on the 17th of May: FDA Approves New Treatment for Parkinson's Disease The Food and Drug Administration today approved Azilect (rasagiline), a new molecular entity, for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The drug is a monoamine...
- Parkinson Disease: Lrrk2, Park8, And Dardarin
From the BBC: Target found for Parkinson's test A gene mutation which could be behind one in 25 cases of Parkinson's disease has been discovered by scientists. It is hoped the findings could lead to the earlier detection of the disease...
- In The Weeklies
This week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (09 December 2004) includes two research papers and one editorial comment on topics concerning Parkinson disease: Levodopa and the Progression of Parkinson's Disease by The Parkinson...
- Deep Brain Stimulation: Battling Parkinson’s Disease
Please note: This is part one of a four-part series. There was something very important Steve Zabielski knew, which he decided not to share with his wife for the best of reasons. So he shielded her from the truth. For five years. “I just couldn’t...