J. Eric Ahlskog – författare

Dementia implies impaired thinking and memory. It develops in the majority of people with Parkinson's disease if they live long enough. A closely related condition is Dementia with Lewy Bodies, which is the second leading cause of dementia (behind Alzheimer' disease). These are all too common disorders, yet little is written for the lay public about such dementia. This book is designed to fill that void, and especially to provide guidelines for treatment. A cure does not yet exist, but optimal medical treatment can markedly improve quality of life, for both patients and family. Treating these conditions can become complicated, given the variety of available drugs, plus the unintended side effects of some medications. Busy clinicians are increasingly challenged by time constraints, which is another complicating factor. Hence, patients, family, caregivers need to be armed with facts, which will help their clinicians choose the best drugs and avoid those most likely to cause other problems. Drugs, doses, medications to avoid and why, are all discussed in detail. This book is designed to provide the patient-family team with the knowledge necessary to partner with their doctors to get the best medical treatment.Dr. Ahlskog is an expert in Parkinson's disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies, thanks to his clinical and research work at Mayo Clinic. His previous general-audience title, "The Parkinson's Disease Treatment Book" has sold over 11,000 copies.

The field of movement disorders is relatively broad, encompassing disorders of increased movement, such as tremors, dystonia, and tics, to disorders characterized by a paucity of movement, such as Parkinson's disease. Our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and our treatment options are expanding at a rapid pace. This expansion ranges from the medical and surgical advances in treating Parkinson's disease to the flood of genetic abnormalities that have now been found to cause various movement disorders. Although many patients are seen by the movement disorders specialist in neurology clinics around the country, most of these patients receive their followup care from a primary care physician or "general" neurologist who must be versed in the character­ istics and treatment plans of this diverse group of disorders. The major goal of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for the Practicing Physician is to distill this immense amount of information and to educate the practitioner about the many facets of the movement disorders field. We believe that this book fills a large void, since most texts on movement disorders are more detailed and geared toward the specialist. We have asked the chapter authors to emphasize the clinical characteristics of each disorder, discuss the differential diagnosis and the diagnostic testing, and then outline the various treatment options, as if they were teaching during a preceptorship in their clinic.

The field of movement disorders is relatively broad, encompassing disorders of increased movement, such as tremors, dystonia, and tics, to disorders characterized by a paucity of movement, such as Parkinson''s disease. Our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and our treatment options are expanding at a rapid pace. This expansion ranges from the medical and surgical advances in treating Parkinson''s disease to the flood of genetic abnormalities that have now been found to cause various movement disorders. Although many patients are seen by the movement disorders specialist in neurology clinics around the country, most of these patients receive their followup care from a primary care physician or "general" neurologist who must be versed in the character­ istics and treatment plans of this diverse group of disorders. The major goal of Parkinson''s Disease and Movement Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for the Practicing Physician is to distill this immense amount of information and to educate the practitioner about the many facets of the movement disorders field. We believe that this book fills a large void, since most texts on movement disorders are more detailed and geared toward the specialist. We have asked the chapter authors to emphasize the clinical characteristics of each disorder, discuss the differential diagnosis and the diagnostic testing, and then outline the various treatment options, as if they were teaching during a preceptorship in their clinic.