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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Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Study examines association between gut mycobiome and Parkinson’s disease

The bacterial gut microbiome is strongly associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), but no studies had previously investigated he role of fungi in the gut.

21 Jan 2021

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is on the rise, finds study

A new study has found a brain pressure disorder called idiopathic intracranial hypertension is on the rise, and the increase corresponds with rising obesity rates.

20 Jan 2021

Hematopoietic stem cell transplants may prevent worsening of MS disability

A new study shows that intense immunosuppression followed by a hematopoietic stem cell transplant may prevent disability associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) from getting worse in 71% of people with relapsing-remitting MS for up to 10 years after the treatment.

20 Jan 2021

BMP5/7 protein offers promising therapeutics that could halt the progression of Parkinson's disease

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers have discovered that the protein BMP5/7 offers promising therapeutics that could slow down or halt the progression of Parkinson's disease.

20 Jan 2021

Simple vision tests can predict Parkinson's dementia before it begins

Simple vision tests can predict which people with Parkinson's disease will develop cognitive impairment and possible dementia 18 months later, according to a new study by UCL researchers.

19 Jan 2021

Researchers focus on specific neurons that make reaching-and-grasping tasks possible

Research conducted at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, has looked at the importance of specific neurons for seemingly simple, day-to-day tasks that involve reaching for and grasping objects.

19 Jan 2021

Researchers find potential biomarkers of Parkinson's disease

A research team led by Nagoya University in Japan has found that blood pressure, the hematocrit (the percentage of red blood cells in blood), and serum cholesterol levels change in patients with Parkinson's disease long before the onset of motor symptoms.

18 Jan 2021

Personalized neuromodulation approach provides relief from severe depression symptoms

Targeted neuromodulation tailored to individual patients' distinctive symptoms is an increasingly common way of correcting misfiring brain circuits in people with epilepsy or Parkinson's disease.

18 Jan 2021

Patients with schizophrenia have increased risk of Parkinson's disease, shows study

A new study conducted at the University of Turku, Finland, shows that patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder have an increased risk of Parkinson's disease later in life.

15 Jan 2021

iTHRIV announces recipients of health research pilot projects

The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hub partnership between Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, Carilion Clinic, and Inova Health System has awarded $200,000 in funding to five research projects through the Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies Program. Multi-institutional teams of scientists, physicians, and engineers will study Parkinson's disease, celiac disease, pediatric heart transplant, pediatric telemedicine, and epilepsy.

15 Jan 2021

MIND and Mediterranean diets correlated with later onset of Parkinson's disease

A new study from UBC researchers suggests a strong correlation between following the MIND and Mediterranean diets and later onset of Parkinson's disease (PD).

13 Jan 2021

Focused ultrasound shows potential to benefit people with Parkinson's disease

A scalpel-free alternative to brain surgery has the potential to benefit people with Parkinson's disease symptoms that are much more severe on one side of the body, new research suggests.

7 Jan 2021

Defective metabolism of Parkinson’s drug is linked to adverse side effects

Until now, the reason why the drug levodopa (L-Dopa), which reduces the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, declines in efficacy after a few years' use has been unknown.

7 Jan 2021

Neuroscientists track gene expression to gain insights into drug addiction, Parkinson's disease

Two MIT neuroscientists have received grants from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation to screen for genes that could help brain cells withstand Parkinson's disease and to map how gene expression changes in the brain in response to drugs of abuse.

4 Jan 2021