Stanford PD Community Blog

Two years ago, Michael J Fox had surgery to remove a benign tumour on his spinal cord. The actor and activist, who had been living with Parkinson’s disease for nearly three decades, had to learn to walk all over again.

The idea of brain surgery can seem frightening. But for many with Parkinson’s disease (PD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a procedure that can have a significant positive impact on their quality of life. It’s important to note that it cannot help everyone with PD, and it may not be the right choice for you or your loved one for a variety of reasons – but APDA has a wealth of resources to help you learn more and answer many of your questions.

Forget the soul — it turns out the eyes may be the best window to the brain. Changes to the retina may foreshadow Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and researchers say a picture of your eye could assess your future risk of neurodegenerative disease.

Mental health is defined as emotional, psychological and social well-being and is an essential part of everyone’s overall health. It is particularly important to understand mental health as it relates to someone with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

At the start of 2020, an 82 year-old man we'll call Walter was using many of the strategies that we have been discussing throughout this series Reducing Falls For Older Adults -- staying active, managing his chronic conditions, and exercising to improve his balance.

A biomarker is a measurable characteristic in the body that indicates that a particular disease is present.  So, for Parkinson's Disease (PD), this would be proof that someone has PD.  Right now, the only way to confirm if someone has had PD is through brain donation.  The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) recently published a list of great resources on PD biomarkers. 

The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) published an update with the latest news about the COVID-19 and Parkinson's Disease (PD).  The update includes information about the COVID-19 vaccine and PD.

Here's to brighter days and happier tomorrows. Happy New Year!

The Family Ties star was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's disease in 1991. He says that if he doesn't know if he can do something, he fakes it — a strategy that works 80 percent of the time.

"[Available] data indicate:  1. The approved mRNA-based vaccines and the vector vaccines under development induce immunization through mechanisms that do not interact with the neurodegenerative process in PD. ... 2. ...the types or incidence of side effects in patients with PD have not been different than in the general population. 3. ...COVID-19 vaccination does not interfere with the current therapies of PD.  4. ...more data will be available in the near future for further analysis of the impact of these vaccines on PD."