Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D., Author at American Parkinson Disease Association

New Treatment for Slowness & Stiffness in Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

In 2018, Focused Ultrasound was approved to treat tremors in people with PD. Now, the FDA has approved expanding...see more the indications of Focused Ultrasound (FUS) for Parkinson’s disease (PD) to also include treatment of bradykinesia (slowness) rigidity (stiffness), and dyskinesias. Individual ultrasound waves do not contain enough energy to do any damage as they pass […]

New Treatments for Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on October 19, 2021June 12, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Exploring seven recently approved Parkinson’s treatments Update: View our updated post of new Parkinson’s treatments in the clinical trial...see more pipeline for 2023 and 2024 Remarkably, in the last five years, seven new medications have been approved for the treatment of the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), with two approved in 2020. That’s exciting progress! […]

Highlights from the Movement Disorder Society Virtual Congress 2021

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Every year the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) holds a conference and every year APDA is...see more there, learning about the newest research and sharing our resources with the wider Parkinson’s disease (PD) community. The MDS Congress is the preeminent gathering of medical professionals from around the world who are dedicated to PD […]

The Future of Parkinson’s Disease Treatments – UPDATE

Posted on September 21, 2021July 10, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

The Parkinson’s disease (PD) research community is extremely eager to find a medication that is disease modifying or neuroprotective (meaning it...see more protects the nerve cells from damage or degeneration). There have been many attempts over the past number of years to demonstrate through clinical trials that particular compounds have neuroprotective effects but to date, these attempts have […]

New and innovative Parkinson’s disease research being funded by APDA

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

NEW, INNOVATIVE PARKINSON’S DISEASE RESEARCH BEING FUNDED BY APDA On September 1, 2021, APDA announced our research grantees for...see more the year ahead. Our grant recipients are working tirelessly to understand the complexities of Parkinson’s disease in an effort to develop new treatments and eventually, a cure, and we are honored to support their work. This […]

Lower back pain and Parkinson’s disease

Posted on August 24, 2021October 10, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Lower back pain is an extremely common problem in the general population, as...see more well as for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It tends to make moving more difficult, adding to the challenges of PD. Tim Nordahl, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Boston University gave an excellent presentation as […]

Nia Technique, Alexander Technique, and Feldenkrais Method: Mindful movement-based practices for Parkinson’s disease

Posted on August 10, 2021July 10, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Mindful movement-based practices are popular complementary therapies in Parkinson’s disease (PD), defined as healing practices involving movement of the...see more body while focusing on the mind. They are performed in addition to standard therapies with the goal of improving quality of life. Many of you probably have heard of yoga and tai chi, but there are […]

What types of exercise are best for people with Parkinson’s disease?

Posted on July 27, 2021October 12, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

In last week’s blog, we addressed the reasons why it is vital for people with Parkinson’s disease to exercise,...see more including (but not limited to) improving particular motor and non-motor symptoms such as impaired balance, gait disorders, depression, and cognition. Today, we will tackle another important question – what types of exercise are most beneficial to […]

Why exercise is critical for people with Parkinson’s disease

Posted on July 20, 2021January 11, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

The Benefits of Exercise for Parkinson’s Disease Your family and friends are constantly encouraging you to exercise. Your doctors...see more tell you that exercise is a vital component of Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment. APDA programming includes exercise programs as a way for people with PD to gain control over their disease. But is exercise worth all […]

Occupational Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease: Tips and Tricks

Posted on July 6, 2021October 10, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

How to treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms with occupational therapy Parkinson’s disease (PD) can introduce all types of challenges into...see more your daily life, including those that interfere with simple activities that you used to take for granted – such as eating, writing, and using a cell phone. Sometimes medication changes can help you move more easily, […]

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