Quo vadis dPV?
Quo Vadis dPV?
My very personal story
In 2019 I was surprised by the diagnosis of Parkinson's and anyone who has had this experience knows the feeling of helplessness, panic and uncertainty.
Entries from Jürgen
What you need to know about Parkinson's
When a person with Parkinson's or a relative wants to find out about a possible disease, accompanying symptoms play a crucial role. These can affect different parts of the body, including skin, skeleton, sensory organs and psyche. The severity and occurrence of these symptoms vary from person to person, and it is important to note that some symptoms may have other causes.
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The dark side of Parkinson's, on the right lines, German version
6th and final part of the mini-series about Jon Stamford and his experiences with Parkinson's. The series ends on a conciliatory note with a nice anecdote that describes the famous “splinter in your own eye” in a very vivid way.
As a reminder, here is the background to the series:
Neurocentric training in everyday life: the influence of movement on our thinking
Welcome to the new year! The new year offers us the perfect opportunity to try out new things and discover new potential within ourselves. Let's revive the desire for movement together, awaken curiosity for the unknown and develop calmness for things that are beyond our control.
Inspired by this thought, in this article I look at the fascinating connections between exercise and the brain.
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Produodopa. The new medication standard?
However, the perspectives changed fundamentally with the introduction of Produodopa®, a subcutaneous infusion solution. Continuous infusion over 24 hours using a portable pump ensures more constant effective levels. The crucial advantage for all of us is that no surgery is required to insert the subcutaneous cannula. This less invasive treatment option is a huge relief for all of us.
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The dark side of Parkinson's, the knockout punch
Sometimes it is difficult or embarrassing to talk about the symptoms. Patients may be reluctant to share their experiences with their family doctor, or may not even be aware that this is a component of Parkinson's disease. These short films are designed to provide clues to patients by addressing uncomfortable issues and encouraging them to make a connection with their illness and seek medical help.
MRgFUS
Karl Walter, an 80-year-old resident of Karlsfeld, has had an impressive and transformative experience with Parkinson's disease. This condition, characterized by a constant shaking, also known as tremor, had severely affected his ability to carry out everyday tasks. Even basic tasks, such as tying a tie or lacing his shoes, posed major challenges for him.
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Gene mutations and deep brain stimulation
Now the effects of GBA mutations on the long-term outcome of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease have been examined in a study with 296 participants. It was found that patients with GBA variants became ill at a younger age, had a shorter duration of illness before deep brain stimulation and had more frequent dyskinesias. After 3 to 5 years, both groups showed improvement in motor symptoms and satisfactory control of fluctuations and dyskinesias. Non-motor symptoms were comparable, except for cognition, which deteriorated more rapidly in GBA Parkinson's patients. Analysis by the exact GBA mutation type is ongoing, but preliminary data suggests that GBA Parkinson's patients benefit from deep brain stimulation just as much as patients without GBA variants.
Parkinson's research needs private donations
Japanese scientists have developed a new blood test that can detect Parkinson's with high accuracy.
The test works by detecting a specific protein called α-synuclein that is misfolded in these diseases.
Previous tests could also detect this protein, but they required an invasive method that involved taking a sample from the spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid). This new test can detect the protein directly in the blood, making it much easier and less invasive.
Parkinson's and skin cancer
The increased risk of melanoma in Parkinson's patients has been documented in numerous scientific studies. A first comprehensive meta-analysis was published by Liu and colleagues in the journal Neurology in 2011 and found that people with Parkinson's had more than double the risk of being diagnosed with melanoma. An important study on this topic was also published in 2010 by John Bertoni and colleagues in the Archives of Neurology (later renamed JAMA Neurology). The Bertoni study used data from the North American Parkinson's and Melanoma Survey Group and found that the incidence of malignant melanoma was 2,24 times higher in the Parkinson's cohort compared to the general population.