•  UPDATED April 17 2019

     
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    Whether it affects a friend, a family member, or even a celebrity you have heard about in the news, Parkinson’s disease is an ailment you may feel that you know well. Michael J. Fox was diagnosed in 1991 and became an advocate for patients and researchers fighting the disease. Muhammad Ali was diagnosed in 1984, and it was speculated that the multiple blows to his head could have led to his onset. However, the cause of the disease is still not certain to this day.
    In the early 1980s, a few batches of contaminated synthetic heroin triggered severe Parkinson’s disease symptoms among the people who used it. The tragedy led to a new therapy that alleviates some of Parkinson’s most disabling symptoms — deep brain stimulation (DBS).
    How much do you really know about Parkinson’s disease and the researchers advancing therapies for treatment? Click on the lnks below to watch, read, and learn more about the past, present, and future of Parkinson’s disease and the research behind it.
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    DBS Electrodes
    A treatment for Parkinson's disease and other disorders arose from an outbreak of contaminated street drugs — and years of painstaking brain research. < < Read> >
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    Steves Deep Brain BAVC
    Learn ways that tremor used to prevent a man from certain activities until DBS improved his daily life. This 2018 Brain Awareness Vido Contest entry explains.< < Watch> >
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    Dr. Meghan Campbell is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. She describes her work examining cognition and dementia in Parkinson's disease. < < Listen> >
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    DBS BAVC18
    Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, takes advantage of electricity to treat brain disorders like Parkinson’s disease. This 2018 Brain Awareness Vido Contest entry explains.< < Watch> >
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    TEACHER'S CORNER
    Parkinsons disease
    Test your students’ knowledge of the various diseases and disorders that plague the brain and nervous system. < < Explore> >