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

Tracking the Impact: 2023 APDA-funded Parkinson’s Research

Posted on January 16, 2024January 19, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

APDA’s Impactful Research in Parkinson’s Disease APDA proudly invests in the most promising clinicians and scientific projects focused on...see more the discovery of the cause(s) and finding the cure(s) for Parkinson’s disease (PD). APDA is committed to scientific research and has been a funding partner in many major PD scientific breakthroughs, investing nearly $60 million in research […]

A Proposed Biological Staging System for Parkinson’s disease

Posted on January 3, 2024January 5, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

What is a disease staging system? A disease staging system is a framework used to describe the progression or...see more severity of a particular medical condition. A staging system creates a standardized way of classifying the extent of the disease, which helps healthcare professionals communicate effectively about a patient’s condition, make treatment decisions, and predict prognosis. […]

Questions About Blood Pressure Control & Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on December 19, 2023August 18, 2025 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Exploring Parkinson’s Disease’s Impact on Blood Pressure Control On a recent episode of APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts, I spoke...see more with Dr. Jose Palma, a doctor with expertise in autonomic dysfunction and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Autonomic dysfunction is common in PD and refers to the dysregulation of body functions that are not under conscious control such […]

Questions About Urinary Dysfunction & Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on December 5, 2023December 7, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Exploring Parkinson’s Disease’s Impact on Urinary Dysfunction On a recent episode of APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts, I spoke with...see more Dr. Victor Nitti, a urologist with expertise in Parkinson’s disease (PD). We covered a lot of ground during the broadcast and answered questions from the audience. It was a very informative conversation, and we encourage you […]

Cognitive Fluctuations in Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on November 21, 2023September 6, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Understanding Cognitive Fluctuations: What Do They Entail? Cognitive difficulties are a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease and can be...see more very challenging both for people with PD and their care partners. Typically, these changes are noticed slowly over time as the person with PD develops more difficulty with tasks and activities. Sometimes, however, a person with […]

Understanding Weakness in Parkinson’s disease

Posted on November 7, 2023November 7, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Muscle weakness and Parkinson’s disease It is common for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to describe themselves as feeling...see more weak. They may say that their legs are “heavy”, feel like they’re “made out of lead”, or feel like they’re “in concrete.” And they may also feel weak all over or describe weakness in their hands […]

Interactions between Levodopa and food – What to Avoid

Posted on November 2, 2023June 24, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

The challenges of levodopa dosing and food intake I receive many Ask the Doctor questions about food intake and...see more levodopa ingestion, and I know it’s a tough balance for many. Instructions on how best to take levodopa can seem contradictory. On one hand, people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are told to separate levodopa from food […]

Best Diet Tips to Help Your Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms

Posted on October 25, 2023March 18, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Webinar Recap: A Healthy Diet’s Influence on Parkinson’s Disease While there are aspects of our health that are beyond...see more our control (i.e., genetics), what we eat is one of the key elements of our health that is under our control. Recently, Jessica Schroeder, a registered dietitian nutritionist, was our featured guest on a special episode […]

Finger twitching as a possible first symptom of Parkinson’s

Posted on October 11, 2023October 11, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

You will often hear that a person diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) first noticed something was “off” when a...see more finger (or fingers) started twitching. This twitching of the finger is also known as a tremor, which is a characteristic motor symptom of Parkinsons. Tremor is a rhythmic movement of a part of the body. A […]

Drug-induced parkinsonism

Posted on September 29, 2023June 12, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

What is drug-induced parkinsonism? The motor features of PD are often (but not always) very easy to see via a...see more neurologic exam in a doctor’s office. Rest tremor (which is a tremor that goes away with movement, but often returns when the limb is at rest) for example, is seen in virtually no other illness and can […]

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