Understanding Parkinson's Disease

Richard B. Rosenbaum, M.D. is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at Oregon Health Sciences University, and a practicing Neurologist at The Oregon Clinic. He is a board-certified Neurologist, a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and also the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. He earned his medical degree at Harvard University Medical School.

"Rosenbaum melds his professional experiences as a clinical neurologist and professor of neurology with personal experiences to provide an insightful overview of Parkinson's disease. He is remarkably successful in his ambitious attempt to cover the history, etiology, pathology, clinical manifestations, treatment options, and nonpharmacologic management of this neurological disorder for a wide readership. The author provides concise, easily digestible introductions to basic medically related scientific concepts such as incidence/prevalence of disease, genetic inheritance, and test sensitivity/specificity as necessary for comprehension of the substantive discussions in each chapter. Engaging descriptions of medical discoveries, drug development, medical practice issues, and patient-physician communication are wide-ranging and logically organized....[t]he method of synthesizing information pertaining to Parkinson's disease is applicable to any disease entity, as are the many pearls regarding patient care. This book will be useful for those afflicted with Parkinson's disease and for families, caregivers, students seeking a career in any of the health professions, and others interested in an understandable illustration of how to thoughtfully explore a disease and its treatment. Recommended. All levels." - Choice

• Acknowledgments Introduction 1. THE DIAGNOSTIC CONVERSATION—DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE Making the Diagnosis James Parkinson and the Shaking Palsy Jean Charcot and Better Examinations Checking Diagnostic Accuracy Specificity and Sensitivity Prognosis The Hoehn and Yahr Scale The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale 2. PATHOLOGY OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE What Part of the Brain Fails in Parkinson's Disease? Nerve Cell Connections Chemical Pathology of Parkinson's Disease 3. IS THERE AN EPIDEMIC OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE? Epidemiology of Parkinson's Disease John Snow—The Father of Epidemiology Koch's Postulates Investigating Clusters of Parkinson's Disease Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Does Smoking Cause Parkinson's Disease? Causation versus Association—The Hill Criteria Epidemiology of Smoking and Parkinson's Disease Pesticides, Head Trauma, and Parkinson's Disease Parkinson's at the Manor 4. CAUSES OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE Does an Infection Cause Parkinson's Disease? When Prophecy Fails Do Toxins Cause Parkinson's Disease? An Answer from the Frozen Addicts Do Genes Cause Parkinson's Disease? All Disease Is Genetic Disease 5. MEDICATIONS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE The Herbal Tradition Herbal Treatment of Parkinson's Disease Awakenings—L-Dopa Therapy Dopamine and Schizophrenia—The Dopamine Receptor Rational Drug Therapy—Trying to Prevent Progression of Parkinson's Disease Coenzyme Q10—Another Quest for Neuroprotection The Challenges of Taking L-Dopa 6. IMAGES OF THE BRAIN—A PICTURE OF THE BRAIN IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS Imaging and Diagnosis Imaging and Presymptomatic Diagnosis Imaging and Disease Progression 7. A BETTER MODEL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE Dopamine Nerve Cells Connect to Many Parts of the Brain Dopamine is One of Many Neurotransmitters That Are Important in Parkinson's Disease Patients with Parkinson's Disease Lose Cells from Many Areas of the Brain 8. BRAIN SURGERY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE Can Destroying Part of the Brain Be Good? "Brain Transplantation"—Implanting New Brain Cells Gene Therapy 9. LIVING WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE Mood, Behavior, and Parkinson's Disease Can L-Dopa Make People Gamble? Are Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related? Sleep and Parkinson's Disease Fall and Injury Prevention 10. CONCLUSIONS What Happens to Brain Cells to Cause Parkinson's Disease? Living Better with Parkinson's Disease The Story of Parkinson's Disease Is Not Finished Appendix: Reading about Parkinson's Disease Glossary Notes Index