22nd November 2014 - New music

IT'S ALL IN MY HEAD (AN ALBUM ABOUT PARKINSON'S DISEASE)

Bill Schmalfeldt

Publisher's description : This is a music  album by a cranky 60-year old with Parkinson’s disease. If there’s one thing that drives him nuts, it’s when people try to cheer him out of his PD doldrums with sappy, silly, “everything’s gonna be FINE!” songs. Everything is NOT going to be fine, not for Bill, and not for the people with this progressive neurological disorder. Still, there’s reason for hope as Bill shares in the last song on this album. People are working day and night to find better treatments and, hopefully, a cure for this beast of a disease. Bill’s album deals with the stuff a person with advanced Parkinson’s disease deals with every day. The feeling that you could be doing more for yourself and easing some of the burden on your caregiver.  There’s a lot of snark, sass, sarcasm and sardonic humor in this album. But one thing that comes through is that Bill is not done living. Not just yet. Click here for more details

13th  November 2014 - New book

DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION FOR NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

Toru Itakura

Publisher's description : Chronic electrical stimulation of the brain has demonstrated excellent outcomes in patients with Parkinson’s disease and has recently also been applied to other neurological diseases. This comprehensive, up-to-date book will meet the needs of all who wish to learn more about the application of deep brain stimulation and will provide a sound basis for safe and accurate surgery. The book comprises two main parts, the first of which presents relevant anatomical and functional background information on the basal ganglia, thalamus and other brain structures as well as on the mechanism of brain stimulation. The second part describes clinical studies on deep brain stimulation, covering results in a range of movement disorders and psychiatric diseases and also important aspects of instrumentation and technique. The authors are outstanding scientists and experts from across the world. Click here for more details For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease books In order to refer to this article on its own click here

8th November 2014 - New research

DELAYING L-DOPA IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

During the past decade, a number of large drug trials have suggested that the initiation of L-dopa therapy should be delayed in order to reduce the risk of motor complications in people with Parkinson's Disease.

Researchers therefore assessed what happened when L-dopa was withheld for a long time after somebody had developed Parkinson's Disease. They studied Ghana, because in Ghana access to medication for Parkinson's Disease means that initiation of L-dopa is often delayed for many years after the onset of Parkinson's Disease. Their data was compared to people with Parkinson's Disease in Italy, where the use of L-dopa is initiated far earlier. Demographic features, frequency and severity of motor and non-motor symptoms were comparable in the two populations. Although L-dopa therapy was introduced much later in Ghana, the duration of Parkinson's Disease when motor fluctuations and dyskinesias started was similar to people in Italy who initiated the use of L-dopa far earlier.

Instead of how early L-dopa was initiated, what was most associated with motor fluctuations and dyskinesias was (1) the duration of Parkinson's Disease and (2) the daily dose of L-dopa (mg/kg of body weight). The average time to the development of motor fluctuations and dyskinesias after the initiation of L-dopa was surprisingly short as it was only six months.

Reference : Brain [2014] 137 (10) : 2731-2742 (R.Cilia, A.Akpalu, F.S.Sarfo, M.Cham, M.Amboni, E.Cereda, M.Fabbri, P.Adjei, J.Akassi, A.Bonetti, G.Pezzoli)  Complete abstract 

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2nd November 2014 - New book

GUIDE TO ASSESSMENT SCALES IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Pablo Martinez-Martin, Carmen Rodriguez-Blazquez, Maria Joao Forjaz, Kallol Ray Chaudhuri

Publisher's description : This Guide assesses the key clinimetric attributes in the assessment of Parkinson's Disease, with the intention to offer rapid and pragmatic information on the most relevant scales used. The use of scales for assessment in neurological disorders such as PD arises from the need to quantify disorders and states (such constructs as disability, symptoms, quality of life). Assessment scales are often categorised into two categories: generic (i.e. those scales usable in any health condition), and specific (i.e. scales developed for exclusive use in PD). They can have a variety of components: single-item and multi-item or composite scale; unidimensional and multidimensional; and as disease-centered and patient-centered measures. The creation and validation of scales is complex, with scales undergoing numerous studies to assess criteria such as acceptability, reliability, and responsiveness.  Click here for more details For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease books In order to refer to this article on its own click here