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

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 […]

2023 Update: New Parkinson’s Disease Treatments in the Clinical Trial Pipeline

Posted on September 26, 2023June 12, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

New Parkinson’s Medication on the Horizon The development of potential new medications for Parkinson’s disease (PD) medications remains very...see more active, with multiple new medications in various stages of research development that are aiming to treat and slow down PD. In past blogs, we have reviewed the various mechanisms of action that are being studied to […]

APDA Proudly Supports New 2023 – 2024 Parkinson’s Research

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

Exciting New Parkinson’s Research is Underway On September 7, 2023, APDA announced 20 new Parkinson’s disease (PD) research grants,...see more for a total of $1.975 million in funding for the year ahead. Our grant recipients are working tirelessly to understand the complexities of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to develop new treatments and eventually, a cure. We […]

Determining Symptoms: Is it Parkinson’s Disease or Aging?

Posted on August 22, 2023September 13, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Is it a Parkinson’s symptom or a symptom of aging? As people age, they encounter new symptoms which may...see more interfere with quality of life. The same is true for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The tricky thing is that there are many similar symptoms between the two causes! Often people with PD are left wondering: […]

Where are they now? Past APDA Research Grant Awardees

Posted on August 8, 2023August 7, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Advancing Scientific Breakthroughs and Empowering Parkinson’s Disease Research Since 1961, APDA has been a funding partner in many major...see more scientific breakthroughs and has awarded more than $60 million in research grants to date. APDA awards individual research grants and fellowships to scientists performing innovative Parkinson’s disease (PD) research. Grantees are selected through a competitive application […]

Parkinson’s Disease Virtual Technological Innovations

Posted on July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

The Expanding Role of Technology Within Healthcare for Parkinson’s Disease Computers, smartphones, video — technology has become much more...see more accessible and user-friendly and plays a big role in our everyday lives, from the ways we keep in touch to the ways we watch tv to the cars we drive (just to name a few). But […]

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Living with Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Resource Library

Research

Ways to Give