News and Medical Alerts

Parkinson’s is a complex disease that affects multiple systems in the central nervous system, with the most prominent symptoms being slowness of movement (bradykinesia), tremor, and gait abnormalities. However, there are a multitude of other symptoms, including fatigue, depression, and anxiety.

A recent study appears to demonstrate markers of inflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinson’s patients, and these markers appear to correlate with depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment.

While this information does not change any treatment of Parkinson’s at this time, there is always hope that new information will lead to additional effective treatments.  Click here to review article about: Parkinson’s severity

In the past couple of decades there has been increasing interest and concern over long term effects of repetitive minor head trauma, especially as related to contact sports such as football and boxing. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is the name given to a  brain disease linked to repeated trauma. Read more about sports injuries

We all know the typical positive effects of routine exercise. One of the best known reasons is lower risk of vascular disease, such as heart attack. But now research suggests that low cardiovascular fitness in men at age 18 is strongly linked to an increased risk of seizures in later life. For more information on this topic click here: surprising benefits of exercise