Brain Storms

Brain Storms
Author: Jon Palfreman
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2015-09-15
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 0374711852

“The best and clearest book I’ve encountered on the current state of knowledge about Parkinson’s Disease . . . a master storyteller.” —The Tampa Tribune Seven million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s, and doctors, researchers, and patients continue to hunt for a cure. In Brain Storms, Peabody Award–winning journalist Jon Palfreman tells their story—a story that became his own when he was diagnosed with the debilitating illness. Palfreman chronicles how scientists have worked to crack the mystery of what was once called the shaking palsy, from the earliest clinical descriptions of tremors, gait freezing, and micrographia to the cutting edge of neuroscience, and charts the victories and setbacks of a massive international effort to best the disease. He takes us back to the 1950s and the discovery of L-dopa. He delves into other therapeutic approaches to this perplexing condition, from partial lobotomies and deep brain stimulation to neural grafting. And he shares inspiring stories of brave individuals living with Parkinson’s, from a former professional ballet dancer who tricks her body to move freely again to a patient who cannot walk but astounds doctors when he rides a bicycle with no trouble at all. The race is on to stop or reverse neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Brain Storms is the long-overdue, riveting, and deeply personal story of that race, and a passionate, insightful look into the lives of those affected. “Well written and poignant.” —The Wall Street Journal “[Palfreman] has an excellent grasp on the science behind the disease . . . but it is as a human story that the book is most compelling.” —The Times Literary Supplement “Clean prose, clear thought and fascinating stories.” —The Miami Herald “Extraordinary case studies abound.” —Nature “Fast-paced, captivating . . . part scientific investigation, part medical detective story, and part memoir . . . it opens wide a window into the world of Parkinson’s.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

James Parkinson His Life and Times

James Parkinson His Life and Times
Author: F.C. Rose
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2013-03-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461598249

Dr. A. D. Morris had a long interest in, and great familiarity with, the life and times of James Parkinson (1755-1824). He was an avid collector of material related to Parkinson, some of which he communicated to medi· cal and historical groups, and which he also incorporated into publica· tions, especially his admirable work, The Hoxton Madhouses. When Dr. Morris died, in 1980, he left behind a large typescript devoted to Parkinson's life. It was single·minded in its dedication to primary texts, quoting liberally from the whole range of Parkinson's writings. This was particularly valuable since so many of Parkinson's publications were tracts, pamphlets, or occasional pieces which are now very scarce. A copy of the entire manuscript has been deposited in the Library of the Well· come Institute for the History of Medicine in London, where it may be consulted. The length of the manuscript made publication of the whole impossible, especially since it would have had to include the facsimile reproduction of Morris's The Hoxton Madhouses.

Etiology of Parkinson's Disease

Etiology of Parkinson's Disease
Author: Jonas H. Ellenberg
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 600
Release: 1995-03-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780824788230

This comprehensive reference provides a detailed overview of current concepts regarding the cause of Parkinson's disease-emphasizing the issues involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of epidemiological studies of parkinsonism.

Magnesium in the Central Nervous System

Magnesium in the Central Nervous System
Author: Robert Vink
Publisher: University of Adelaide Press
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2011
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0987073052

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.

Ending Parkinson's Disease

Ending Parkinson's Disease
Author: Ray Dorsey
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2020-03-17
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1541724496

In this "must-read" guide (Lonnie Ali), four leading doctors and advocates offer a bold action plan to prevent, care for, and treat Parkinson's disease-one of the great health challenges of our time. Brain diseases are now the world's leading source of disability. The fastest growing of these is Parkinson's: the number of impacted patients has doubled to more than six million over the last twenty-five years and is projected to double again by 2040. Harmful pesticides that increase the risk of Parkinson's continue to proliferate, many people remain undiagnosed and untreated, research funding stagnates, and the most effective treatment is now a half century old. In Ending Parkinson's Disease, four top experts provide a plan to help prevent Parkinson's, improve care and treatment, and end the silence associated with this devastating disease.