An Interview With ADPA Researcher, Dr. Abdulmunaim Eid About Parkinson’s Subtypes Dr. Abdulmunaim Eid, APDA-funded researcher exploring Parkinson’s subtypes. Our A Closer Look blog is designed to educate, inform, and inspire you through a variety of topics and insights about Parkinson’s disease (PD). One way we do that is through our Interview with APDA Researchers series within this blog so you can get a closer look at some of the dedicated APDA-funded researchers who are working tirelessly to understand this disease. Today we introduce you to Dr. Abdulmunaim Eid. He is a ..read more

Insights from Dr. Ihtsham Ul Haq and Tom Liodice on APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts Deep brain stimulation (DBS) and focused ultrasound (FUS) are two medical procedures that may be considered for certain people with PD to help alleviate symptoms. On a recent episode of APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts, I spoke with Dr. Ihtsham Ul Haq, a movement disorders specialist with a particular interest in DBS and FUS for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Tom Liodice, a person with PD who recently underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) . We covered a lot of ground during the broadcast and both Tom and Dr. Haq ans ..read more

An Interview With Dr. Krithi Irmady, an APDA Researcher Studying RNA & Parkinson’s Our A Closer Look blog is designed to educate, inform, and inspire you through a variety of topics and insights about Parkinson’s disease (PD). One way we do that is through our Interview with APDA Researchers series within this blog so you can get a closer look at some of the dedicated APDA-funded researchers who are working tirelessly to understand this disease. As we celebrate Women’s History Month and the important contributions women have made, it seems fitting today to introduce yo ..read more

How Parkinson’s medications may affect behavior Dopaminergic medications (or medications that enhance the brain’s dopamine system) are the mainstay of treatment for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). These medications have the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of someone with PD by improving slowness and stiffness, tremor, and gait difficulties – which are all frequent symptoms of the disease. However, like all medications, they can also cause side effects. Some common side effects of dopaminergic medications include fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and hallucinati ..read more

APDA’s Impactful Research in Parkinson’s Disease APDA proudly invests in the most promising clinicians and scientific projects focused on the discovery of the cause(s) and finding the cure(s) for Parkinson’s disease (PD). APDA is committed to scientific research and has been a funding partner in many major PD scientific breakthroughs, investing nearly $60 million in research since 1961. We are very proud of the impact our research funds have made in the past, and we’re excited to give you some updates on the impact we’re having today, and also explain how we measure that impact. Many APDA-fun ..read more

What is a disease staging system? A disease staging system is a framework used to describe the progression or severity of a particular medical condition. A staging system creates a standardized way of classifying the extent of the disease, which helps healthcare professionals communicate effectively about a patient’s condition, make treatment decisions, and predict prognosis. Many people may be familiar with this regarding diseases like cancer, but there are also staging systems for Parkinson’s disease. We’ll discuss the standard staging scales that have been in use for decades, as well as a n ..read more

Exploring Parkinson’s Disease’s Impact on Blood Pressure Control On a recent episode of APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts, I spoke with Dr. Jose Palma, a doctor with expertise in autonomic dysfunction and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Autonomic dysfunction is common in PD and refers to the dysregulation of body functions that are not under conscious control such as blood pressure, bowel function, and bladder function. A common blood pressure issue for people with PD is orthostatic hypotension – a condition that prevents your body from properly increasing blood pressure when you change from lying to sittin ..read more

Exploring Parkinson’s Disease’s Impact on Urinary Dysfunction On a recent episode of APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts, I spoke with Dr. Victor Nitti, a urologist with expertise in Parkinson’s disease (PD). We covered a lot of ground during the broadcast and answered questions from the audience. It was a very informative conversation, and we encourage you to watch the full episode, but for your convenience we’ve listed the topics and questions from the episode below with timestamps, so you can skip to what interests you most. Additionally, today we are answering some of the important questions that we ..read more

Muscle weakness and Parkinson’s disease It is common for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to describe themselves as feeling weak. They may say that their legs are “heavy”, feel like they’re “made out of lead”, or feel like they’re “in concrete.” And they may also feel weak all over or describe weakness in their hands or arms. From a medical perspective, however, weakness is officially defined as decreased muscle strength. Do people with PD actually have decreased muscle strength in their arms and/or legs? Alternatively, when people with PD say they are “weak”, are they actually describing ..read more

Insights from Dr. Ihtsham Ul Haq and Tom Liodice on APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts Deep brain stimulation (DBS) and focused ultrasound (FUS) are two medical procedures that may be considered for certain people with PD to help alleviate symptoms. On a recent episode of APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts, I spoke with Dr. Ihtsham Ul Haq, a movement disorders specialist with a particular interest in DBS and FUS for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Tom Liodice, a person with PD who recently underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) . We covered a lot of ground during the broadcast and both Tom and Dr. Haq ans ..read more