Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder. It occurs when certain nerve cells (neurons) in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra die or become impaired. When approximately 80 percent of neurons are damaged, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease appear. Parkinson's disease affects 1 in 100 people over the age of 60, with the average age of onset being 60 years. The risk of developing Parkinson's disease increases with age. In the United States, it is estimated that 60,000 new cases of Parkinson's disease are diagnosed each year, with 1.5 million Americans currently living with the disease.

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the brain. It affects parts of the brain that are associated with normal movement and balance.

Parkinson's Disease Pathophysiology

Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis

Parkinson's Disease Treatment

Parkinson's Disease Prognosis

Parkinson's Disease History

Parkinson's Disease Research

Parkinson's Disease Support

Herpes Virus and Parkinson's Disease

Physiotherapy for Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Compared to Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)

VPS35 Gene and Parkinson's Disease

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Insulin Resistance and Parkinson's Disease

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) Versus Parkinson's Disease

Parkinsonism in Spinocerebellar Ataxia

Where Does Parkinson’s Disease Originate?

Is Appendectomy Linked to Parkinson’s Disease?

Bipolar Disorder and Parkinson’s

Gene Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Emotional bodily sensations altered in Parkinson's disease

Emotions have a major impact on the way we act, and they regulate our hormones and many of the body's vital functions.

15 Apr 2024

Gut microbiome shows no clear link to cognitive impairments in Parkinson's disease

Study investigates the gut microbiome's role in Parkinson's disease patients with mild cognitive impairments, revealing no distinct microbiome signatures associated with MCI in PD compared to cognitively normal PD patients or controls.

8 Apr 2024

New treatments in sight for challenging neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases

Study reviews the advancements in pharmacological treatments for neuropsychiatric syndromes in neurodegenerative disorders, discussing the complexities of managing symptoms such as depression, disinhibition, apathy, psychosis, and agitation to improve patient care.

3 Apr 2024

Researchers find a promising approach to remove amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease starts with a sticky protein called amyloid beta that builds up into plaques in the brain, setting off a chain of events that results in brain atrophy and cognitive decline.

3 Apr 2024

Defining how exercise affects cardiovascular health in people using wheelchairs

Delphia Brown (left) exercises at the Stephen A. Orthwein Center, a wheelchair-accessible gym in St. Louis operated by Paraquad, an organization that helps people with disabilities achieve independence.

2 Apr 2024

Irritable bowel syndrome not linked to higher Parkinson's risk, study finds

Research investigates the association between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Parkinson's disease (PD), revealing that IBS is not linked to an increased overall risk of PD. Subgroup analyses suggest that certain IBS populations may have a lower risk of developing PD.

31 Mar 2024

New smartphone-based method for high-quality gait analysis

Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Medicine have developed a new, accessible approach to analyze a patient's walking ability and stances more effectively.

28 Mar 2024

DNA damage in neurons crucial for creating stable memories

Just as you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that you can't make long-term memories without DNA damage and brain inflammation. Their surprising findings were published online today in the journal Nature.

27 Mar 2024

Study sheds light on the interplay of genes in smoking addiction

Take a puff of nicotine for the first time, and your DNA plays an important role, alongside social and environmental factors, in shaping what happens next.

26 Mar 2024

Towards better diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders: Skin biopsy for α-synuclein detection proves effective

The positivity rate of cutaneous phosphorylated alpha-synuclein protein (P-SYN) deposition among individuals with dementia.

26 Mar 2024

Skin biopsy test shows promise in diagnosing Parkinson's disease and synucleinopathies

In a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), neurologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) showed that a simple skin biopsy test detects an abnormal form of alpha-synuclein, the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease and the subgroup of neurodegenerative disorders known as synucleinopathies, at high positivity rates.

20 Mar 2024

Study highlights causal associations between gut microbes and hypothyroidism

The association between the microbial community of the gut and hypothyroidism.

20 Mar 2024

Discovery could revolutionize stem cell-based brain repair therapy for Parkinson's disease

Neuroscientists at University of Galway have made an exciting discovery that could revolutionize stem cell-based brain repair therapy for Parkinson's disease.

19 Mar 2024

More than 3 billion people worldwide lived with a neurological condition in 2021, new study reports

Researchers estimated global, regional, and national health loss due to 37 nervous system conditions and their associated risk factors from 1990 to 2021.

19 Mar 2024

Innovative levodopa infusion pump trial shows promise for reducing Parkinson's symptoms

An international, multisite phase 3 trial co-led by a University of Cincinnati researcher found Parkinson's disease medication delivered through an infusion pump is safe and effective at reducing symptoms for longer periods of time.

15 Mar 2024

Non-invasive brain stimulation can change specific brain mechanism linked to human behavior

For the first time, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities showed that non-invasive brain stimulation can change a specific brain mechanism that is directly related to human behavior.

15 Mar 2024

Study highlights growing burden of neurological disorders worldwide

Globally, the number of people living with, or dying from, neurological conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and meningitis has risen substantially over the past 30 years due to the growth and aging of the global population as well as increased exposure to environmental, metabolic, and lifestyle risk factors.

15 Mar 2024

Concussion from explosive blasts may induce Alzheimer's biomarkers in middle-aged veterans

Middle-age veterans who experienced concussions due to blasts from explosive devices may have biomarkers in their spinal fluid similar to people who develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the March 13, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Mar 2024

Groundbreaking study unveils new insights into neurodegenerative disorder symptoms

Identification of clinical disease trajectories in neurodegenerative disorders with natural language processing.

14 Mar 2024

Nutrition's crucial role in Alzheimer's progression revealed

Study highlights the strong association between nutrition, particularly malnutrition, and the risk and progression of Alzheimer's disease, emphasizing early dietary interventions as key to reducing AD's global burden.

10 Mar 2024