Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder of the dopamine-producing neurons in the midbrain. Parkinson’s Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder behind Alzheimer’s disease, and among the most common neurological disorders. 

The cause is not well defined though specific genes and genetic risk factors exist, but most cases are idiopathic – meaning we don’t know exactly why it happens in many cases.  Risk factors include age, male gender 2:1, Caucasian race, and exposure to herbicides, pesticides, and other toxins. The biggest risk factor is age.  The most common age of onset is around 60 and is rarely seen before age of 30 or after age of 90.

These three episodes will cover the following topics:

1. Tell me about Parkinson’s Disease?
2. What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s?
3. Tell me about the non-motor symptoms?
4. How does Parkinson’s cause these symptoms? Do we know?

• You mentioned different kinds of Parkinson’s disease, can you talk about those?
• How does someone go about getting diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?
• What are the treatments?
• How do I limit cognitive decline in PD, since that is your area of expertise?
• What lies in future research.?