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	<title>Davis Phinney Foundation</title>
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	<description>Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson&#039;s Disease / Every Victory Counts</description>
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		<title>Parkinson’s Patients Find Strength, Joy In Dance Class</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/parkinsons-patients-find-strength-joy-dance-class/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/parkinsons-patients-find-strength-joy-dance-class/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Posts]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3681</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Doug Schepman, 7NEWS Reporter www.thedenverchannel.com Exercise Can Slow Progression Of Disease DENVER &#8211; At noon on Mondays, a rehearsal studio at]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<address><em><a href="mailto:doug_schepman@kmgh.com">Doug Schepman</a>, 7NEWS Reporter www.thedenverchannel.com</em></address>
<p><strong>Exercise Can Slow Progression Of Disease</strong></p>
<p>DENVER &#8211; At noon on Mondays, a rehearsal studio at Colorado Ballet becomes a place of healing for Parkinson’s disease patients and caregivers.<br />
&#8220;We just want them to come to this class to express themselves and explore some art,&#8221; said Brandon “Private” Freeman, a volunteer instructor.</p>
<p>The weekly dance class, called &#8220;Rhythm and Grace,&#8221; is a partnership between the Parkinson Association of the Rockies and Colorado Ballet. Its purpose is not to teach students to pirouette or glissade, but instead, encourages participants to stretch and exercise. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement.</p>
<p>&#8220;So much of moving with Parkinson&#8217;s disease is work. Walking is work,&#8221; said Terri Reinhart, who was diagnosed with Parkinson&#8217;s disease five years ago. &#8220;Participating in the dance I&#8217;ve found that I can find that gracefulness in movement again and it can carry over into the rest of my week.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to the National Parkinson Foundation, exercise can improve gait, balance, tremor, flexibility, grip strength and motor coordination. It may also slow progression of the disease.</p>
<p>While physical or occupational therapy is often prescribed for people with PD, “Rhythm and Grace” is purposely designed not to feel like a therapy. Instead, the focus is moving for enjoyment.</p>
<p>“It&#8217;s just a lot of fun,&#8221; said Bob Jones, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 15 months ago. “I exercise a lot. I’m probably in better shape than I was before I was diagnosed.”</p>
<p>During the class, participants mimic the sweeping, elongated arm and leg movements modeled by instructors, while seated or standing.</p>
<p>“Yes, it’s therapeutic for them. It’s addressing their issues, but part of what we do is not let them think about it,” Freeman said. “We don’t even want to use clinical terms. We don’t want to trigger any kind of response that they have from their regular physical therapist.”</p>
<p>For Reinhart, &#8220;Rhythm and Grace&#8221; is an opportunity to escape the reality of Parkinsons disease, and counteract its devastating affects in a fun way.</p>
<p>&#8220;If I treat this thing as an enemy, I&#8217;m going to be fighting and it&#8217;s going to be exhausting, and it&#8217;s not a battle I would win,&#8221; Reinhart said.<br />
&#8220;We know that people who are positive and feel good about themselves and are less depressed, actually are healthier overall, even when they are living with a chronic disease,&#8221; said Cheryl Siefert, executive director of the Parkinson Association of the Rockies.</p>
<p>The Parkinson Association of the Rockies began offering the dance classes eight months ago. The program is based on a national model called “Dance For Parkinson’s Disease,” which was developed in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2001. Classes are offered in Denver, Broomfield and Longmont.<em></em><strong><em><br />
</em></strong></p>
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		<title>Dancing Away the Disease</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/dancing-disease/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/dancing-disease/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:23:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3679</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Joe Ferguson, www.azdailysun.com The excited beats of tango music reverberate once a week throughout Joseph Carter&#8217;s office in the]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<address>By Joe Ferguson, www.azdailysun.com</address>
<p>The excited beats of tango music reverberate once a week throughout Joseph Carter&#8217;s office in the Greentree Plaza shopping center.</p>
<p>The former athlete pushes aside the bulky, specialized equipment used in his rehabilitation clinic to make room for a group of patients to practice the dance steps with a handful of NAU students.</p>
<p>The tango is often tied to romantic imagery, but inside his clinic, it is the path for those with certain neurological conditions to a new, healthier life.</p>
<p>The brains of patients with Parkinson&#8217;s Disease are essentially re-mapped while dancing to the driving quarter-note pulse, explains his wife and business partner, Valerie Carter.</p>
<p>She is an expert in neuroscience rehabilitation techniques, teaching classes across the country (as well as at NAU) about evidence-based neuroplastic rehabilitation techniques for patients.</p>
<p>But for Valerie, the passion for helping those with various neurological conditions is deeply rooted in her relationship with her mother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson&#8217;s 23 years ago.</p>
<p>The disease, she explains, is classified by five stages as it progressively robs people of motor control over time.</p>
<p>But regular physical therapy, Valerie says, has been proved to remap the brain, generating new connections to halt the progression and, in some cases, reverse the course of the disease.</p>
<p>&#8220;The tango has evidence behind it &#8212; there are several scientific articles &#8212; that show marked improvement,&#8221; Valerie said.</p>
<p>She believes that with regular therapy, whether by dancing or working out on a treadmill, that patients will never have to reach the debilitating final stages of Parkinson&#8217;s.</p>
<p>&#8220;My mom will never be at Stage 5, ever,&#8221; she vows, noting the stage is essentially a death sentence, with people confined to their bed.</p>
<p>She contends it is never too late to start the therapy.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve had patients who were in Stage 3 and they are now in Stage 2,&#8221; Joe says. &#8220;We are having people reversing their stages because we are not letting the disease take over.&#8221;</p>
<p>About half of their patients have some type of neurological conditions, he says.</p>
<p>The couple has carefully and purposely cultivated their practice in order to cater to this part of the community, working with local doctors as well as support groups since opening their doors six years ago.</p>
<p>&#8220;We saw a need for improved neurological rehab here in Flagstaff,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>But don&#8217;t let the promise of tango classes fool you. Joseph Carter pushes all of his patients to give him the best workout possible.</p>
<p>&#8220;I treat the 80-year-old Parkinson&#8217;s patient the same way I treat a high school athlete,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I give them a hard time, I mess with them, I tease them &#8230; I don&#8217;t treat them any different than anyone else.&#8221;</p>
<p>Carter Rehab currently accepts Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Workers&#8217; Comp and other commercial insurance programs.</p>
<p><em>Joe Ferguson can be reached at 556-2253 or <a href="mailto:jferguson@azdailysun.com">jferguson@azdailysun.com</a>.</em></p>
<p><strong>Carter Rehabilitation<br />
</strong>1800 S. Milton Rd., Suite 103<br />
(928) 226-0792<br />
<a href="http://carterrehab.com/">carterrehab.com</a></p>
<p>Hours<br />
Monday thru Friday<br />
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.<br />
Read more: <a href="http://azdailysun.com/business/local/dancing-away-the-disease/article_38feb8cd-2e15-5c3a-b5aa-2a070bb9abb8.html#ixzz1mwZZ8wVW">http://azdailysun.com/business/local/dancing-away-the-disease/article_38feb8cd-2e15-5c3a-b5aa-2a070bb9abb8.html#ixzz1mwZZ8wVW</a></p>
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		<title>10 Valentine&#8217;s Day Dental Health Care Tips for Parkinson&#8217;s Disease Sufferers</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/10-valentines-day-dental-health-care-tips-parkinsons-disease-sufferers/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/10-valentines-day-dental-health-care-tips-parkinsons-disease-sufferers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:48:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3647</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When Valentine&#8217;s Day officially ended at midnight, I think it would be fair to say that the people beaming from]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When Valentine&#8217;s Day officially ended at midnight, I think it would be fair to say that the people beaming from ear-to-ear were not only doting couples but the owners of restaurants, card stores, florists and chocolatiers as well.</p>
<p>A recent study has predicted British men will splash out £611m on presents while women are expected to spend a more restrained £269m, <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2100335/Romantic-Brits-spend-880m-Valentines-year-men-paying.html" target="_hplink">reported The Daily Mail</a>.</p>
<p>However, on a more serious note. What if you literally couldn&#8217;t produce your signature smile on cue with confidence anymore?</p>
<p>People with Parkinson&#8217;s Disease can sometimes be deprived of executing this seemingly simple action of showing appreciation because of ongoing<a href="http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/PDF/FS98_dentalandoralhealth.pdf" target="_hplink"> oral and dental health problems</a> which are symptomatic of the debilitating condition.</p>
<p>They will experience difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, drooling, an increase in tooth decay as well as difficulty controlling dentures due to weakened facial muscles.</p>
<p>Current figures show more than six million people worldwide are affected by Parkinson&#8217;s. However, the<a href="http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/chapter_2_neuro_disorders_public_h_challenges.pdf" target="_hplink">World Health Organisation </a>(WHO) estimates that number could rise to about 50 million by 2015.</p>
<p>PD is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system which means the symptoms affecting movement, muscle control and balance will degenerate over time.</p>
<p>Sufferers lack a sufficient amount of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brains have died. The loss of those cells cause the disease&#8217;s main symptoms &#8211; tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement.</p>
<p>But sufferers are also likely to experience depression, dementia, sleep disturbances and incontinence.</p>
<p>The risk of getting PD increases with age with symptoms usually appearing in people above 50. Researchers are yet to discover what causes this incurable condition which has a devastating impact on the quality of a person&#8217;s life.</p>
<p>Someone diagnosed with PD has the dual challenge of not only trying to adjust to having the disease but also trying to develop their own coping mechanisms. As Parkinson&#8217;s is idiosyncratic, each person&#8217;s experiences can be different.</p>
<p>Hence, the reason why there isn&#8217;t one particular way of tackling the disease and care for someone with it is multifarious involving monitored drug management, therapies and in some cases, surgery. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/thelma-etim/10-valentines-day-dental-_b_1276590.html">Click here</a> to read the rest of the article.</p>
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		<title>Tai chi could benefit Parkinson’s disease patients</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/tai-chi-benefit-parkinsons-disease-patients/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/tai-chi-benefit-parkinsons-disease-patients/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:24:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3644</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD,  www.news-medical.net A new study found that a six-month program of Tai Chi exercises helped people]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<address>By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD,  www.news-medical.net</address>
<p>A new study found that a six-month program of Tai Chi exercises helped people with various stages of <a href="http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Parkinsons-Disease.aspx">Parkinson&#8217;s disease</a> improve stability, their ability to walk and reduced the frequency of falls.</p>
<p>The study, published this week in the <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em> compared a six-month tailored Tai Chi program to resistance training and stretching to see which was most effective at improving functional movement, walking and balance for Parkinson&#8217;s patients.</p>
<p>Parkinson&#8217;s is a neurological disorder caused by a loss of neurons that produce<a href="http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Dopamine.aspx">dopamine</a>, a chemical involved with muscle function and movement coordination. That can result in tremors, stiffness, poor coordination and more difficulty doing daily activities. It can also lead to a higher risk of falls, which can cause serious injuries. Tai Chi, a discipline that incorporates slow, deliberate movements, plus breathing, has health benefits that include reducing stress and improving balance and posture.</p>
<p>For the study the researchers randomly assigned 195 men and women ages 40 to 85 who were in stages one to four of Parkinson&#8217;s disease (on a scale of one to five) to the exercise groups. The study participants were randomly assigned to an hour long, twice weekly sessions of Tai Chi, resistance training or stretching for six months. Researchers assessed their status at the beginning of the study, at three and six months, and three months after the study ended.</p>
<p>At the end of the study the Tai Chi group did better than the stretching group on a few measures: leaning without losing balance, having better directional control of their body, and walking skills. They outperformed the resistance training group on balance and stride length. Those in the Tai Chi group also reduced their frequency of falls more than the stretching group, and on a par with the resistance group. Three months after the study ended, those in the Tai Chi group were able to maintain the benefits they had gained.</p>
<p>“Since many training features in the program are functionally oriented,” said Oregon Research Institute scientist Fuzhong Li in a news release, “the improvements in the balance and gait measures that we demonstrated highlight the potential of Tai Chi-based movements in rehabilitating patients with these types of problems and, consequently, easing cardinal symptoms of Parkinson&#8217;s disease and improving mobility, flexibility, balance and range of motion.” Li was the lead author of the study.</p>
<p>Li explained that Tai Chi has several advantages. “It is a low-cost activity that does not require equipment, it can be done anywhere, at any time, and the movements can be easily learned. It can also be incorporated into a rehabilitation setting as part of existing treatment. Similarly, because of its simplicity, certain aspects of this Tai Chi program can also be prescribed to patients as a self-care/home activity.”</p>
<p>Dr. Chenchen Wang, who is studying tai chi for <a href="http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Arthritis.aspx">arthritis</a> and fibromyalgia, said the results of the Parkinson&#8217;s research were “dramatic and impressive.” She heads the Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. She added that one of the strengths of the study was that researchers could measure the results directly instead of relying on the patients&#8217; own reports. But a placebo effect can&#8217;t be totally discounted, she said, since the participants knew which exercise program they were assigned and that could have influenced results.</p>
<p>The findings will receive a lot of attention in the Parkinson’s community, said Blair Ford, medical adviser with the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and a professor of clinical neurology at Columbia University in New York. “Tai chi and probably equivalent methods are helpful at improving balance and decreasing falls and that’s very, very important for Parkinson’s disease,” Ford said in a Feb. 7 telephone interview. The study “might just get tai chi on the map as a conjunctive treatment for Parkinson’s. Medications alone don’t prevent falling.”</p>
<p>Andrew Feigin, a neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s disease at the North Shore-LIJ Medical Group in Great Neck, New York, said the findings give scientific backing to doctor recommendations that patients try exercises like tai chi to improve balance. “Balance and gait are problems that people with Parkinson’s disease have,” said Feigin, who wasn’t an author of today’s paper. “Things like stretching and resistance aren’t really working on balance. Tai chi really focuses on improvements in balance. It’s nice to get some actual data that shows doing those things can be helpful.”</p>
<p>“The results from this study are quite impressive,” says Ray Dorsey, a neurologist and associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. “It&#8217;s always difficult to compare results across studies, but the magnitude of the impact that they had is larger, in some cases, than what is seen with medications in Parkinson&#8217;s,” says Dorsey, who also directs the Movement Disorders Center and Neurology <a href="http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Telemedicine.aspx">Telemedicine</a>at Johns Hopkins. He was not involved in the research.</p>
<p>Estimates vary, but at least 500,000 people in the United States have Parkinson&#8217;s and as many as 10 million people worldwide are living with the disorder, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, based in New York. Men are more probable than women to have the disease. The study was paid for by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and <a href="http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-a-Stroke.aspx">Stroke</a>. <a href="http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120212/Tai-chi-could-benefit-Parkinsone28099s-disease-patients.aspx?page=2" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read the rest of the article.</p>
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		<title>Few Parkinson&#8217;s patients enroll in trials; Michael J. Fox aims to change that</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/parkinsons-patients-enroll-trials-michael-fox-aims-change/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/parkinsons-patients-enroll-trials-michael-fox-aims-change/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:30:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3642</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lisa Flam, www.todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com When Linda Morgan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in October 2005, her doctor told her that]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<address>By Lisa Flam, www.todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com</address>
<p>When Linda Morgan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in October 2005, her doctor told her that her symptoms weren’t bad and instructed her to come back in a year.</p>
<p>Sit around and wait &#8212; for a <em>year?! </em>No thank you, thought Morgan, who felt like she needed to <em>do </em>something after getting the scary diagnosis. Just a month later, she enrolled in a clinical trial &#8212; and since then, she&#8217;s participated in about 15.</p>
<p>“To get the cure that we want one day or the better drugs and the better treatments and better information about Parkinson’s, we all need to do our part and participate in clinical trials,” said Morgan, a pharmacist who lives in Asheville, N.C.</p>
<p>Clinical trials are a required part of the regulatory process to prove that new therapies are safe and effective. While studies for heart disease and cancer treatments can fill up in 24 hours, recruiting volunteers for Parkinson’s trials is a much slower process, of about one recruit per study per location each month, said Deborah Brooks, co-founder of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.</p>
<p>Fewer than one in 10 Parkinson’s patients ever participates in a trial, Brooks said, citing data from the National Institutes of Health from 2003-2004. A 2006 Harris Poll commissioned by the Fox foundation found that while about 80 percent of Parkinson’s patients would be willing to join a study, many haven’t been told of opportunities or given access to study information, Brooks said. Many people simply don’t know how badly they’re needed.</p>
<p>Parkinson’s is a degenerative central nervous system disorder that results in movement problems like trembling and rigidity and affects an estimated 1 million Americans. While medications offer relief from symptoms, there are none yet that halt the progression of the disease.</p>
<p>Committed to the research process, Morgan is among the nearly 2,500 people who have created profiles with the <a href="https://foxtrialfinder.michaeljfox.org/">Fox Trial Finder</a>, an online tool that the Fox foundation launched in beta in July.</p>
<p>The finder, which uses state-of-the art technology to match study volunteers with research trial coordinators, aims to get people into clinical trials and observational studies faster to speed the development of new treatments and ultimately find a cure, Brooks said.</p>
<p>“This is an example of how technology can enable us to bring new strategies to address a long-standing problem,” Brooks said.</p>
<p>“Patients have an opportunity to be engaged in many ways in accelerating treatments and participating in clinical trials is one of the most important ways,” Brooks said. “Cures don’t come out of the sky. They can be part of it.”</p>
<p>The problem of not enough volunteers for trials isn&#8217;t unique to patients with Parkinson&#8217;s, said Kathryn G. Whitford, vice president of the American Parkinson Disease Association. Some don&#8217;t understand the variety of trials available, such as nutritional studies and exercise trials and &#8220;some patients are hesitant to do it because they think it would be against the wishes of their physician,&#8221; Whitford said. &#8220;Some physicians are very encouraging and some hesitate for patients to experiment with new therapies especially if they are doing well on their current regimes.&#8221;</p>
<p>The finder has refined matching technology that directs volunteers to studies for which they are qualified. In a unique feature, Brooks said, volunteers can store profiles and are notified when studies that match their criteria become available, so they don’t have to keep checking back. Research trial coordinators use the site to look for qualified volunteers. The two sides can contact each other &#8211; the volunteers are anonymous at first &#8211; to express interest or ask questions.</p>
<p>“They’re accessing smart-match technology that’s pro-active but privacy-assured that eases the burden to them,” Brooks said of volunteers. “It’s easier for the two sides. We’re trying to speed, simplify and target these matches.”</p>
<p>While other websites list research trials and can be searched by say, location, Brooks said Fox finder is easier to navigate. “It’s a 2012 kind of user experience,” she said.</p>
<p>“We didn’t come at this to be competing with other things,” Brooks said. “We saw there was a real opportunity for improvements on usability and functionality.”</p>
<p>Whitford said the Fox finder, and the other trial-listing sites, are all comprehensive. But she said the finder “is a more sophisticated tool [and] a very valuable tool in helping people to find the trial that would best suit their particular needs.&#8221;</p>
<p>Since creating her profile over the summer, Morgan, 56, said she’s been notified of one study, but it was one in which she had already enrolled. On a recent check of trials in her area, she said she was disappointed to see that most did not have trial coordinators attached to them.</p>
<p>“It has great potential,” said Morgan, also a volunteer research advocate for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. “It’s very exciting to have a matching active engine out there. You put the info in and it does the work for you.”</p>
<p>And, she reminds the Parkinson’s community that volunteers are so important to research.</p>
<p>“When you think about it, the only way new medications or new treatments are available is because somebody volunteered to test it,” Morgan said. “They have to have volunteers.” <a href="http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/29/10252901-few-parkinsons-patients-enroll-in-trials-michael-j-fox-aims-to-change-that" target="_blank">Click here</a> to see the original article.</p>
<address><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Note:</span></strong> Linda Morgan is one of about 60 people with Parkinson&#8217;s disease who share their perspectives in the Davis Phinney Foundation&#8217;s &#8220;Every Victory Counts&#8221; self-care manual. Linda Morgan will participate in the Foundation&#8217;s educational symposium, <strong><a href="http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/victory-summit/upcoming-victory-summits/victory-summit-richmond-va/">&#8220;The Victory Summit,&#8221; in Richmond, VA on May 19, 2012.</a></strong></address>
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		<title>Rat research aids stroke and Parkinson’s disease cures</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/rat-research-aids-stroke-parkinsons-disease-cures/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/rat-research-aids-stroke-parkinsons-disease-cures/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:26:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3639</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Thania A. Betancourt, www.statepress.com An ASU professor has enlisted the help of rats in his research to cure Parkinson’s]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<address>By Thania A. Betancourt, www.statepress.com</address>
<p>An ASU professor has enlisted the help of rats in his research to cure Parkinson’s disease and to treat stroke patients.</p>
<p>Associate professor and neuroscientist Jeffrey Kleim and his group of student researchers use rats as experimental models to find a treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease or stroke.</p>
<p>“We take young, healthy rats and give them Parkinson’s disease,” Kleim said.</p>
<p>His research team is creating a rat with the same symptoms a Parkinson’s disease or stroke patient would have, Kleim said.</p>
<p>The research team currently has a rat that displays the symptoms of a stroke, but they are working toward finding a rat that exhibits symptoms of Parkinson’s, he said.</p>
<p>His job is to come up with ways for a rat to have the symptoms a human would have, Kleim said.</p>
<p>Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that affects a person’s physical movements, such the inability to control hand movements.</p>
<p>The team needs to give a rat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that a human would normally have before exploring treatments or a cure, he said.</p>
<p>He said the researchers are under strict rules under ASU and the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Care International to care for the rats, such as giving the rats anesthesia before brain surgery.</p>
<p>Zuha Warraich, a neuroscience graduate student, trains the healthy rats before they are given the experimental stroke.</p>
<p>Warraich places the rat in a plastic cage with two open slits where the rat is trained to reach for a food pellet, called the single pellet test.</p>
<p>She places a small food pellet at the opening, and the rat extends its paw to reach it.</p>
<p>Warraich said a healthy rat would be able to extend its paw to reach the pellet, whereas an experimental stroke rat will not.</p>
<p>Stroke rats are not able to extend their paw and they hold their paw closer to body like a stroke patient, she said.</p>
<p>“This is good,” Warraich said. “It tells us our stroke model is mimicking human condition.”</p>
<p>The tests help the researchers look at the impairments caused by the stroke, Warraich said.</p>
<p>She said they record everything from the rat’s weight to the amount of food they receive to have accurate data.</p>
<p>Warraich videotapes the entire single pellet test training, and the other research assistants examine the rat’s paw movements.</p>
<p>Biomedical freshman Alexis Arnold works on the Parkinson’s disease rats.</p>
<p>She holds a clicker in her hand and reviews the rat’s paw movement on video in slow motion.</p>
<p>Arnold also works on training the rats for the single pellet test.</p>
<p>Nagheme Thomas, the lab manager, has worked with Kleim and the rats for nine years.</p>
<p>She said she gets excited every time a new batch of rats comes into the lab.</p>
<p>Thomas said she recalls one rat that grew attached to the scientists and would want to “cuddle” with the trainers.</p>
<p>“I swear they have personalities,” Thomas said. “I personally like to compare them to people. Some people require more focus, and some don’t.”</p>
<p>Trainers have to keep the rats engaged and focused, Thomas said.</p>
<p>“Even if it’s a small portion that we do, I like knowing what we do will lead to a cure,” Thomas said.</p>
<p>Reach the reporter at thaniab@asu.edu</p>
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		<title>My Father</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/father/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/father/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:09:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3598</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Taylor Phinney, blog at www.taylorphinney.com Hello all. I’m just back to my house in Italy after a lovely two]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<address>By Taylor Phinney, blog at www.taylorphinney.com</address>
<p>Hello all. I’m just back to my house in Italy after a lovely two week training camp in the south of Spain and have been wanting to write this blog for a quite some time now.</p>
<p>I have been wanting to talk a bit about my relationship with my Dad.</p>
<p>I consider my Dad to be one of my best friends. There is no one else in this world that I have spent more time with in my life than him. Between the age of when I could talk, up until I was into my ‘tweens’– almost every night he was home, my Dad would come into my room before bedtime and talk with me for hours on end. He would tell me stories of his racing days, I would ask questions, I could talk to him about anything…he was like my own personal therapist. If I was having a problem at school, I would talk it through with him, whether it was about a girl I had a crush on or a bully that was picking on me. As a kid, this time with my Dad meant the world to me and wound up being an outstanding highlight of my childhood.</p>
<p>I often wondered why my friends didn’t have a similar relationship with their fathers that I had with mine. My Dad would go off to different events every once and a while, but was never gone too long. I very fondly recall the ‘boys weekends’ we would spend together in the winters in various ski destinations in Colorado and around the western US. We would quite literally ski all day–full gas the whole time–then go out for burgers at night and just hang out and chat before heading to bed and repeating another adventure the next day. On those weekends we would be attached at the hip and I remember them as being some of the best weekends of my young life. In fact, when I think back to them now, I am overwhelmed with a strong feeling of nostalgia. I loved every second of the time I could spend with my Dad.</p>
<p>In 2000, my Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. As a kid at the age of 10, I thought, like most little kids do, that the world revolved around me, I figured my Dad’s ‘sickness’ wasn’t that bad of news. After all, it only meant that he couldn’t travel as much, and would have to spend more time at home; more time with me and my little sister Kelsey. I also had no real clue as to the severity of it, my knowledge of the matter only broadened as I matured over the course of the last 12 years.</p>
<p>My relationship with my Dad didn’t change at all after his diagnosis. Thinking back now to the way he handled it, I can’t really believe his composure. He kept on living, loving, and laughing. He easily could’ve lapsed into self pity and depression but he held his head high and said ‘I am going to live with this disease and I am going to live well.’ He spent even more time with my sister and me, and we got to do some pretty cool things as a family – like move to Italy for 3 years when I was in middle school. Just to do something different and because we could. I will say, however, that nothing we did as a family could how been accomplished without my Mom though, she is very much the glue that holds us together.</p>
<p>A lot of people ask me what it was like when I found out my father had Parkinson’s, but to be honest, at age 10 I was far too young to know anything about it, and as it has changed him over the years I have been growing into my own person and trying to find my place in the world. I would say that the only time I really noticed a huge difference in my father’s appearance was after he underwent a brain surgery called ‘deep brain stimulation’ or DBS. In 2008, as I was qualifying for the Olympic team in track cycling, my Dad had two electrodes implanted into his brain which were wired to a battery box that sits on his right pectoral muscle; it is otherwise called a ‘brain pacemaker’. These electrodes are then fine tuned and customized to his own personal setting that quell his tremors and vastly improve his quality of life. Before the surgery my Dad had been on an 8-year roller coaster of medications, but after? He no longer had to take anything. He was not cured by any means, but he was a new man, with new life inside of him.</p>
<p>Even though my Dad has had to fight through this disease for almost 12 years now, our quality of life as a family has not been hindered in the slightest. My Dad is a huge inspiration to me not only in my cycling career but also in my personal life. He reminds me that I should never take anything for granted, and that no matter what, I should be happy and grateful for what I have. Positivity goes a long way, and seeing the bright side of any situation is a trait I have definitely inherited from my father. He is a bright light in many peoples lives, maybe shining the brightest in mine.</p>
<p>Earlier this month I chose to support my Dad’s foundation, the Davis Phinney Foundation, by donating $25,000 of my own money. The work he does, inspiring people around the globe to live BETTER with their disease is incredible. He did not ask me to donate, I just felt that it was getting to that time in MY life where I needed to start to give back. If YOU are interested in helping me match my donation (and you are in the USA)…you can easily text the word VICTORY to the number 80888 to donate $10. If you are outside the US, and have the urge to help support the Davis Phinney Foundation you can donate here: <a href="http://dpf.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1007888">dpf.kintera.org/taylorphinney</a> or here:<a href="http://www.davisphinneyfoundation.org/giving/donate/">davisphinneyfoundation.org</a></p>
<p>Many of you have been so very supporting in this endeavor, and for that I thank you! It is rather special for me to be able to share my love for the man that taught me everything I needed to know about how to live my life to the fullest, with all of you.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading, and a huge THANK YOU if you donate..it really means a lot to me!</p>
<p>-tp</p>
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		<title>Scientists report first step in strategy for cell replacement therapy in Parkinson&#8217;s disease</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/scientists-report-step-strategy-cell-replacement-therapy-parkinsons-disease/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/scientists-report-step-strategy-cell-replacement-therapy-parkinsons-disease/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:11:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3595</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[www.labspaces.net Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are a promising avenue for cell replacement therapy in neurologic diseases. For example, mouse]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<address>www.labspaces.net</address>
<p>Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are a promising avenue for cell replacement therapy in neurologic diseases. For example, mouse and human iPSCs have been used to generate dopaminergic (DA) neurons that improve symptoms in rat Parkinson&#8217;s disease models. Reporting in the current issue of the <em>Journal of Parkinson&#8217;s Disease</em>, a group of scientists from Japan evaluated the growth, differentiation, and function of human-derived iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in a primate model, elucidating their therapeutic potential.</p>
<p>&#8220;We developed a series of methods to induce human iPSCs to become NPCs, using a feeder-free culture method, and grafted NPCs at different stages of differentiation into the brain of a monkey PD model,&#8221; explains lead investigator Jun Takahashi, MD, PhD, of Kyoto University. &#8220;We developed a method to evaluate the growth and DA activity of the grafts using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), immunocytochemistry, and behavioral analyses, all of which will be useful in preclinical research.&#8221;</p>
<p>Investigators grafted human iPSCs into the brains of laboratory mice and a monkey treated with MPTP, a neurotoxin that causes Parkinson&#8217;s symptoms. They found that iPSCs incubated in feeder-free culture generated functional midbrain DA neurons. &#8220;In previous studies, midbrain DA neurons were induced from human iPSCs, but the method required coculture with stromal mouse feeder cells or Matrigel,&#8221; noted Dr. Takahashi. &#8220;Our feeder-free method would be more suitable for clinical use.&#8221;</p>
<p>Pre-treatment with growth factors was required to promote the maturation of functional DA neurons in vivo. MRI and PET imaging allowed real-time monitoring of in vivo cell proliferation and activity. The study demonstrates that dopamine synthesis, transport, and reuptake reflect DA activity in the grafted NPCs, an approach that can also be used in human patients.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our results contribute to the evaluation of the survival, differentiation, and function of human iPSC-derived neuronal cells in a primate PD model. Although we have to perform additional preclinical studies using more primate models before clinical application, we believe our findings contribute as the first step for developing a strategy for cell replacement therapy in Parkinson&#8217;s disease,&#8221; Dr. Takahashi concludes.</p>
<p>###</p>
<p>The article is &#8220;Survival of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell‑Derived Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons into the Brain of a Primate Model of Parkinson&#8217;s Disease,&#8221; by T. Kikuchi, A. Morizane, D. Doi, H. Onoe, T. Hayashi, T. Kawasaki, H. Saiki, S. Miyamoto, and J. Takahashi. <em>Journal of Parkinson&#8217;s Disease</em>. 1(2011) 395-412. DOI: 10.3233/JPD-2011-11070. Published by IOS Press.</p>
<p>IOS Press: <a href="http://www.iospress.com/" target="_blank">http://www.iospress.com</a></p>
</div>
<p>Thanks to IOS Press for this article.</p>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 12px; color: #000000;"><br />
</span></div>
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		<title>Protein That Controls Movement Does the Opposite in Parkinson&#8217;s</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/protein-controls-movement-parkinsons/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/dpf-blog/protein-controls-movement-parkinsons/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:22:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3587</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Study with mice suggests it may be a new drug target  health.usnews.com WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) &#8212; Researchers who]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Study with mice suggests it may be a new drug target</h2>
<address> health.usnews.com</address>
<p>WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) &#8212; Researchers who identified a protein that worsens symptoms of <a id="KonaLink0" href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/bones-joints-and-muscles/articles/2012/01/25/protein-that-controls-movement-does-the-opposite-in-parkinsons#"><span style="color: #005497;">Parkinson&#8217;s</span></a> disease say their finding could eventually lead to new treatments for the neurodegenerative disease.</p>
<p>The protein, RGS4, normally helps regulate the activity in neurons in the striatum, the part of the brain that controls movement.</p>
<p>But in models of <a id="KonaLink1" href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/bones-joints-and-muscles/articles/2012/01/25/protein-that-controls-movement-does-the-opposite-in-parkinsons#"><span style="color: #005497;">Parkinson&#8217;s disease</span></a> in mice, the researchers found that RGS4 actually contributes to problems with motor control, leading to a deterioration of movement and motor coordination.</p>
<p>The study, published online Jan. 25 in the journal <em>Neuron</em>, was conducted by scientists at the Gladstone Institutes, a nonprofit biomedical research organization affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).</p>
<p>It&#8217;s long been known that decreased levels of the brain chemical dopamine are associated with Parkinson&#8217;s. Patients take a drug called Levodopa to increase dopamine levels but the drug&#8217;s effectiveness begins to weaken as the disease progresses.</p>
<p>This has led scientists to start looking for potential new treatment targets.</p>
<p>&#8220;About 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson&#8217;s annually, and dopamine-based therapies often do not provide a long-term solution,&#8221; Anatol Kreitzer, a Gladstone <a id="KonaLink2" href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/bones-joints-and-muscles/articles/2012/01/25/protein-that-controls-movement-does-the-opposite-in-parkinsons#"><span style="color: #005497;">investigator</span></a> and an assistant professor of physiology and neurology at UCSF, said in a Gladstone news release.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our discovery that RGS4 may play a role in the development of Parkinson&#8217;s symptoms helps us lay the groundwork for a new therapeutic strategy &#8212; independent of dopamine,&#8221; he claimed.</p>
<p>While studies involving animals can be promising, they frequently fail to produce similar results in humans.</p>
<p><a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/bones-joints-and-muscles/articles/2012/01/25/protein-that-controls-movement-does-the-opposite-in-parkinsons" target="_blank">Link to the original article</a>.</p>
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		<title>Want to Make a Difference? Volunteer!</title>
		<link>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/spotlight/difference-volunteer/</link>
		<comments>http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/spotlight/difference-volunteer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:32:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dpfmarketing</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/?p=3568</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Artist and Davis Phinney Foundation volunteer, Maria, has always been drawn to volunteerism. She says that giving of herself is]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Maria_table1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3571" title="Maria_table" src="http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Maria_table1.jpg" alt="Maria table1 Want to Make a Difference? Volunteer!" width="175" height="175" /></a></p>
<p>Artist and Davis Phinney Foundation volunteer, Maria, has always been drawn to volunteerism. She says that giving of herself is a value instilled by her parents, who encouraged generosity and the concept of giving back.</p>
<p>Maria&#8217;s relationship with the Foundation started with an email from a friend suggesting that she help in our booth at a fundraising event. Her experience was a positive one, and she was hooked. Since then, Maria has volunteered at several Davis Phinney Foundation events, helped in our office, and is a proud member of the Victory Crew grassroots fundraising program. Not only has Maria committed to riding in the 2012 Copper Triangle benefiting the Foundation, she&#8217;s also put her artistic talents to work for us, donating the profits from sales of her original art cards.
<p>There are countless ways for you to volunteer your time and your talents on behalf of the Davis Phinney Foundation and have fun along the way. To learn more about how you can join Maria and others, visit our <strong><a href="http://davisphinneyfoundation.org/giving/ways-give/volunteering/">Volunteers</a></strong> page.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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