What is Parkinson’s
What is Parkinson’s Disease?

This section will help you understand the basics of Parkinson’s disease, how it affects the brain, its symptoms and ongoing research.
Learn about Parkinson’s disease
Living with Parkinson’s
Living with Parkinson’s Disease

Once you are diagnosed with PD, your focus should be on improving your symptoms and maintaining an active and positive lifestyle. This section covers ways to manage symptoms like engaging in regular exercise, eating healthy, exploring medication and treatment options, and assembling your health care team.

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Resources & Events
Parkinson’s Resource Library

Browse our extensive library of Parkinson’s resources. Watch webinars, download our latest publications, and read articles — all filterable by the topic you would like to learn more about.

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Research
Research

We are committed to scientific research and have been a funding partner in many major Parkinson’s disease scientific breakthroughs, investing more than $65 million in research since 1961. Read about what we fund and explore opportunities for funding.
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Ways to Give
Ways to Give

We invite you to partner with APDA to provide much needed support that can help improve the quality of life for the 1,000,000+ individuals living with Parkinson’s disease in the US.

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Find a Chapter

2014-15 Funded Research

APDA Research & Impact What We Fund 2014-15 Funded Research

Research We Funded in 2014-15

Three Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Awarded to support post-doctoral scientists whose research training holds promise into new insights of geriatric psychology, pathophysiology, etiology and treatment of Parkinson’s disease. This is a fellowship of $35,000 per year for one year.

Peter Ash, PhD

Trustees of Boston University
Environmental toxicant-agonists of the Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor induce expression of alpha synuclein

Nebojsa Kezunovic, PhD

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Impact of PD-related mutation of LRRK2 on striatal synapse development and function

Khoa Nguyen, PhD

Stanford University
Defining the role of microglia-specific LRRK2 in Parkinson’s disease

Seven Research Grants

Awarded for junior investigators to pursue research in Parkinson’s disease. The applicant must be affiliated with and perform the research project at an academic institution. This is a grant of $50,000 per year for one year, renewable.

Theresa Ellis, PhD

Boston University
Mobile Health Technology (MHT) to Promote Physical Activity in Persons with PD

Samual A. Frank, MD

Boston University
Mortality in PD: The PEACE Consortium

Cristina Guardia Laguarta, PhD

Columbia University
A new role for alpha synuclein in Parkinson’s disease: Alteration of ER-mitochondria communication

Daniel Lawrence, PhD

University of Michigan
Identification and evaluation of a novel therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease

Laura Volpicelli-Daley, PhD

University of Alabama at Birmingham
LRRK2 in Pathological Synuclein Transmission

Talene Yacoubian, MD, PhD

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Effects of 14-3-3s on Alpha Synuclein Release and Toxicity

Jinbin Xu, PhD

Washington University
Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptor as a Biomarker for Imaging Nigrostriatal Neurons

Summer Student Fellowships

Brice Kessler

University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Use of preoperative 7T resting BOLD fMRI as an adjunct tool to guide lead placement in deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson’s disease

Quynh Vo

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Characterization and development of a reliable and reproducible rat model of REM behavioral disorder associated with Parkinson’s disease