|
The dedicated researchers, collaborators, students, fellows and nurses in the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Research Centre, part of the Movement Disorders Unit at Westmead, aim to improve the way we treat and seek cures for these complex neurological conditions.
The Unit is conducting a number of clinical therapeutic trials that may bring new hope to the thousands of Australians with movement disorders.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects about one in every 500 people, mostly over the age of 50. However 10% of people with Parkinson’s develop their symptoms under the age of 40. The disease causes nerve cells in the brain to die. This limits the production of a chemical called dopamine, without which patients find movement to be slower and more difficult.
The main symptoms are tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement, but people with the disease may also experience tiredness, pain and depression. There is no cure for Parkinson’s, and no answer to why some people develop it. Yet.
In the search for better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s, researchers at Wetsmead are currently researching answers to:
- Muscle power and balance impairment
- Impulse control disorders
- The impact of falls on quality of life
- The relationship between cortical excitability (stimulation of nerves in the brain), motor impairment and drug treatments
- Portable, computerised measurement of slowed movement
- The treatment of gait freezing
Huntington Disease
Huntington Disease is an inherited disease that causes deterioration in brain cells. This results in abnormal movements, difficulty speaking and swallowing, and changes in behaviour and thinking that lead to dementia.
The children and siblings of affected people have a one-in-two chance of inheriting the disease. It most frequently manifests between the ages of 35 and 45, but can also occur in childhood and late old-age.
The team at Westmead consistently aims to provide better care and understanding of Huntington Disease, and work towards a cure. Currently they are researching:
- Early onset medication before the disease has its full impact
- New drug treatments
- Measuring the progression of the disease
- Effective means of care delivery
- Studying the complex ethical issues posed by Huntington Disease
Other movement disorders
In addition, researchers in the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Unit are exploring innovative new treatments for a number of other conditions, including:
- Dystonic cerebral palsy
- Psychogenic movement disorders
- Stiff man syndrome
- Focal dystonia
- Bilateral simultaneous movements by the brain
- Motor neuron disease
- Multiple sclerosis
|