Stanford PD Community Blog

In July, PMD Alliance presented a talk by Dr. Giselle Petzinger, titled “The Neuroplastic Effects of Exercise.” Dr. Petzinger focuses on the role exercise plays in promoting neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways, and how this strengthens cognitive and automatic components of motor control. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes. 

In early July, PMD Alliance presented a talk by Dr. Anthony Lang titled “New Frontiers in Neuroprotection.” His analysis explores the many ways researchers are attempting to slow or modify the progression of Parkinson’s and, more importantly, how promising each one seems to him.  We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes. 

On April 15th, Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s presented a webinar entitled, “Social Connection and Parkinson’s.” 

We are currently living in a time of enforced social isolation because of COVID-19. For a variety of reasons, many people living with Parkinson’s may have chosen to isolate themselves before this time. This webinar explores the difference between social isolation and loneliness, the biology of loneliness, and the value and health benefits relationships bring.

In late July, PMD Alliance (pmdalliance.org) hosted a one-hour webinar with Irene Litvan, MD, movement disorder specialist at UCSD.  The title of the webinar was “Doc, why don’t I have PD?”  Dr. Litvan says that some of her patients ask her this, pointing out that they have slowness, stiffness, and tremor.  Her presentation focused on atypical parkinsonism disorders as a whole and the differences between Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and these atypicals.  Of all the atypical parkinsonism disorders, she spent the most time on progressive supranuclear palsy and multiple system atrophy, just a bit of time on Lewy body dementia, and almost no time on corticobasal degeneration.  The question-and-answer session included a lot of comments on PD.  We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach listened to the webinar and are sharing our notes. 

Stanford’s Parkinson’s Community Outreach Program hosts a quarterly deep brain stimulation (DBS) support group meeting for those wanting to learn more about this surgical treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The June 2020 meeting featured Dr. Daniel Kramer, a neurosurgeon and clinical instructor at Stanford, who answered audience questions pertaining to DBS. We at Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach viewed the discussion and are sharing our notes.