Events and Community

Events and Community

UPCOMING
EVENTS

Registration for Emposerment is currently full. For wait list, please call 858-215-2570.

If you or a loved has Parkinson’s disease, you may be considering your treatment options. Hear from a Movement Disorder Specialist about how DBS therapy works and whether it may be a treatment option for you. Bring your questions!

 Presented by Sherrie Gould, MSN, NP-C.

COMMUNITY
OPPORTUNITIES

UC- San Deigo Health is recruiting participants for the Parkinson’s Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI)

The PPMI study is a longitudinal biomarker study of Parkinson’s disease that is funded by the Michael J Fox Foundation. It has run since 2010 and has led to major advancements in knowledge of Parkinson’s disease and the methods to improve diagnosis and disease monitoring.

Participants have semi-annual visits where movement and memory tests are administered and every year participants undergo blood draws, neuroimaging (MRI and DAT scans), cerebrospinal fluid sampling, and other assessments. At this time they are specifically recruiting:

People with Parkinson’s disease who have been diagnosed within the last 2 years who have not started medications for Parkinson’s disease
People with REM sleep behavior disorder who do not have Parkinson’s disease
People with genetic variants who are at risk for developing Parkinson’s disease in the future (GBA, LRRK2, PRKN, SNCA, or others)
Healthy people without PD (often spouses or family members of the Parkinson’s disease participants.

You can learn more at ppmi-info.org and click on the ‘Participants’ tab. If you are interested in participating or learning more directly, you can contact the UCSD research coordinator for this study Janelle Rodriguez at jar040@health.ucsd.edu or 858-246-4959.

Have you ever wondered how exercise is good for your brain health? I don’t mean exercise as in finishing a tough crossword puzzle. I mean the relationship between your brain and your skeletal muscles. I am going to attach a great article that discusses this relationship in detail. Click here for full article.

For those of you who prefer a quick synopsis, these are some of the main points:

1. Skeletal muscle is one of the biggest organs in the human body. It is also an endocrine tissue that releases signaling molecules to other parts of your body- including your brain!
2. Our brains and muscles are in constant communication with each other.

Lisbeth Garces, Spanish Community Liaison