Stanford PD Community Blog

In October 2026, No Silver Bullet 4 PD hosted a webinar titled “Changing the gut to change Parkinson’s: Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT),” featuring Arnout Bruggeman, MD, a movement disorders neurologist and Parkinson’s researcher at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium. Dr. Bruggeman explained the gut-brain axis and reviewed animal and human research on faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which is the transfer of gut bacteria from a healthy donor into a person with Parkinson’s. He also shared results from his own clinical trial and plans for a larger follow-up study.

In late October 2026, Stanford and Brain Support Network co-hosted a virtual caregiver meeting on traveling with a loved one who has Parkinson’s disease (PD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), cognitive changes, or mobility issues. Jeanne M., who cared for her husband Drew through Lewy body dementia, opened with three lessons she learned from traveling with him. Caregivers then shared their own tips, stories, and hard-won lessons, and asked each other questions, mostly about coping with bladder incontinence when away from home. Participants included caregivers to those with PD, LBD, and other atypical parkinsonism conditions, who are members of the Stanford or Brain Support Network caregiver groups.

The Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s (DPF) hosts a monthly Care Partner Meetup and, for October 2026, the topic was, “Understanding the Hidden Side of Parkinson’s.” The meetup featured Joanne Hamilton, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist in San Diego. Connie Carpenter Phinney, DPF board member and care partner to DPF founder Davis Phinney, led the conversation alongside DPF Ambassadors and care partners Pat Donahoo, whose wife Cidney lives with Parkinson’s, and Gail Gitin, who was a care partner to her late husband, Gene. A member of one of our local Parkinson’s caregiver support groups recommended the October meetup to us, and we are glad she did.

In September 2026, PMD Alliance hosted a webinar on young-onset Parkinson’s disease (PD). Dr. Rodolfo Savica discussed the similarities and differences between typical-onset Parkinson’s disease (TOPD) and young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD), possible causes of young-onset, and how symptom management could be different for those with TOPD and those with YOPD.

In October 2026, the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) hosted a webinar titled “Pep in Your Step – Getting the Most out of Your Walking,” exploring why walking speed and intensity matter for people with Parkinson’s, how to measure walking intensity, and practical strategies for making walking brisker and safer. We recommend you read the full notes from this outstanding webinar. The presenter was Sara Zoeller, DPT, a physical therapist at Boston University’s Center for Neurorehabilitation, and the moderator was fellow physical therapist Teresa Baker, DPT. This session was part of the APDA’s ongoing “Let’s Keep Moving with APDA” program.