Norton Healthcare has announced a gift of $20 million to the “Just Imagine” campaign from the estate of Elizabeth Pahk Cressman, M.D., Ph.D., to support programming and research in Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders at Norton Neuroscience Institute. The gift will ensure greater access to medical expertise; expand innovative clinical translational research; and recruit, train…
Parkinson’s disease affects the motor skills of the body, including large movements like walking and smaller movements such as getting bills out of your wallet. Parkinson’s can affect your ability to drive a vehicle, although when you should stop driving if you have Parkinson’s depends on the severity of your symptoms. No one wants to…
You might associate uncontrollable shaking of the body with Parkinson’s disease. Although shaking is a classic sign of Parkinson’s, there are other movement disorders that include similar symptoms. Essential tremor affects about 10 million Americans, and Parkinson’s affects about 1 million. Telling these two conditions apart can be tricky, and diagnosis can take time. Signs…
It’s Friday evening, and Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville, Kentucky, is hopping. There’s food to serve, drinks to make and customers to keep happy. In the thick of it all is director of operations Jason Smith. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but Jason, 48, has been battling Parkinson’s disease for eight…
Mike Ball has been living with Parkinson’s disease for 12 years. As the disease has progressed, the former pharmacist had to deal with tremors that impacted his ability to do everyday activities like eating and shaving. With an implant that interrupts uncontrolled movements, Mike has regained control of his body and can now get postoperative…
A new skin test is helping doctors confirm whether or not a patient has Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and other related neurological conditions. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 1 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease, and many people go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed. This is because the symptoms of…
Holly Cooper was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015. One day, Holly, who also is a breast cancer survivor, noticed a small tremor in her thumb. Over time, the tremor gradually became more debilitating. Daily tasks like walking and eating became a struggle. “I was in quicksand, going down,” Holly said. “Your world gets smaller…
For Jason L. Crowell, M.D., working in medicine and fighting Parkinson’s disease are personal. One of the newest neurologists on staff at Norton Neuroscience Institute, Dr. Crowell grew up watching his grandfather, a long-time physician, care for the members of his small Alabama community. Dr. Crowell saw firsthand, he said, “the relationships my grandfather built…
Parkinson’s disease medications are designed to increase dopamine levels in the brain or slow the breakdown of the brain’s dopamine, lessening the tremors and other symptoms. Dopamine is a chemical involved in movement, and its decrease in the brain is central to Parkinson’s disease. By the time someone starts experiencing symptoms, dopamine levels in the…
Norton Neuroscience Institute and Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana have joined forces to bolster care for individuals in our community living with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana will become part of the Norton Neuroscience Institute Resource Center. The resource center offers free education, therapies, support and programs for patients facing various neurological conditions,…
Rock star Ozzy Osbourne has revealed he has Parkinson’s disease. The 71-year-old Black Sabbath singer told “Good Morning America” he found out about his condition after experiencing a fall last year. Parkinson’s disease is an incurable movement disorder that worsens over time. Symptoms include tremors of the hands, arms, legs and face; stiffness in the…
Abigail J. Rao, M.D., neurosurgeon with Norton Neuroscience Institute, isn’t an electrician, but she knows how electricity impacts the brain. She’s using electricity to make a world of difference for individuals diagnosed with movement disorders. Dr. Rao uses deep brain stimulation (DBS) to help patients with essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and difficult-to-treat epilepsy. “Deep…
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