Includes new non-motor, palliative care, and treatment advances A comprehensive new Canadian Guideline for Parkinson Disease, 2nd Edition, provides practical guidance for physicians, allied health professionals, people with Parkinson’s and families on disease management. CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal www.cmaj.ca) published the new guideline accompanied by an easy-to-reference infographic and podcast. Parkinson’s is a debilitating, … Read more

The protein alpha-synuclein works its way into cells occupying parts of the brain affected by Parkinson’s disease as well as those cells in other parts of the brain that remain healthy. This observation has led researchers like Maxime Rousseaux at the University of Ottawa to consider whether this protein’s presence is harmful or helpful. The … Read more

At Laval University, PhD candidate Hélèna Denis is looking deep inside the blood cells of people with Parkinson’s disease. She is examining the connection between proteins linked to Parkinson’s and small pieces of cell membrane, called extracellular vesicles that can emerge from any cell. Her research is made possible through a Graduate Student Award from … Read more

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological disease in the world. No matter at what age a person is diagnosed, receiving the news that you have Parkinson’s is frightening and life-changing. The average wait time to see a specialist for diagnosis of Parkinson’s in Canada is 11 months and in some regions the wait is 2+ … Read more

We want to make Parkinson’s an election issue and we need your help! The election is taking place on October 21st giving us the next several weeks to elevate the issues of Parkinson’s to the people who will form our country’s next government. An election hub is available on Parkinson Canada’s website. The hub includes … Read more

In 2010, Steve Van Vlaenderen realized his lifelong dream of buying a sailboat. A year later, Steve was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and he was devastated. Doctors told him the sailboat was not a good idea, due to balance issues and other problems brought on by the disease. His diagnosis made him feel defeated, robbed, … Read more

Whenever we make a decision, pay attention to a detail, or use our working memory, our pupils change size. That’s because pupil size reflects activities occurring in our brain. At Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, PhD candidate Po Yueh (Jeff) Huang and his colleagues in the laboratory of Dr. Douglas Munoz measure the relationship between … Read more

A protein called alpha-synuclein, which accumulates in clumps in the brain cells of people with Parkinson’s disease, has long been the target of researchers investigating the causes of this degenerative illness. The way alpha-synuclein interacts with other proteins is thought to be the key to how Parkinson’s progresses. At Laval University, Associate Professor Martin Lévesque … Read more