parkinson's disease Archives » ForeverFitScience

The Jury Is Out | The Best Exercise for Parkinson’s Disease

Gillian White, MSc, PhD (C) University of Toronto, Graduate Department of Exercise Sciences Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition affecting 2% of the population over 70 years of age – roughly 6 million people worldwide (Pringshein et al., 2014). It is characterized by the death of brain cells in the basal ganglia, particularly those that

Sense & Movement – A Surprisingly Unique Phenomenon

Julia C. Basso, PhD Reporting from the 2017 Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting The ability to adapt your movement to signals or cues in the environment is known as sensorimotor adaptation, the focus of one of the many minisymposiums at the conference. Dr. Rachael Seidler and her colleagues at the University of Florida study this

Alternative Therapy For Parkinson’s Disease

Catherine O’Brien The Problem Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by impairments in movement and balance. It is estimated to affect 2 million Americans and tends to be more prevalent in older populations (60+). Current treatment methods include dopamine replacement therapy. The downside to this therapy, however, is that it seems to wear

Dancing Helps Heal Individuals With Parkinson’s Disease

Julia C. Basso, PhD Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by problems of movement. Though the disease normally manifests after the age of 60, in rare circumstances, the disease may develop earlier (known as early-onset PD). PD results from loss of dopamine cells in a region of the brain called the

Will Exercise Help Prevent Parkinson’s Disease?

Julia Basso, PhD Affiliation: New York University, Center for Neural Science Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, a part of the brain’s basal ganglia system. The symptoms of this disease are motoric in nature and include tremor, or a shaking of the extremities;

Exercise-Induced Increases in Brain Size

Julia Basso – PhD Carbon dating in the human brain: Implications for exercise-induced increases in brain size Do you ever wonder why scientists use animal models? Are you skeptical of findings in rodents and find it difficult to understand the importance of these discoveries for humans? If so, that is a totally

Resistance Training For Parkinson’s Disease

Sara Thompson – M.Sc. in Exercise Science Parkinson’s disease (PD) is second only to Alzheimer’s in being the most common neurodegenerative disease (L. A. B. MS & MS, 2013). While Parkinson’s Disease is most commonly associated with motor impairments, research suggests that cognitive abilities are also impaired among individuals with the disease. As such, Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease & Cycling Benefits

Catherine O’Brien Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a disease of the nervous system that is characterized by impaired motor function. This impairment can manifest in various ways including tremor, bradykinesia (slowed movement), rigid muscles, impaired posture, loss of automatic movement and impairment of speech and writing ability (Mayo Clinic, 2015). According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation,

Functional Decline in Aging: Exercise and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

Julia Basso – PhD Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are naturally occurring, volatile molecules located within our bodies and brains. They are also known as free radicals because they contain a “free” electron that is available to pair with another electron, thus giving them their volatile qualities. ROS include oxygen, peroxide, and hydrogen peroxide, to name