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Tag: Parkinson’s Disease

  • Kurt Masur: German Conductor, Leader of Renown Orchestras Dies at 88

    Kurt Masur, a German conductor who guest-led orchestras all over the world, has died at the age of 88. In 2012 he announced he had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for several years.

    The only conductor to hold the title of Music Director Emeritus of the New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur had also been music director of the Orchestre National de France in Paris, as well as principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

    Back in 1989, when demonstrations against East Germany’s communist government threatened to become violent, Kurt Masur issued a message from himself and other leading citizens over public loudspeakers. He asked all sides to forego violence, and to instead remain calm and have a peaceful dialogue.

    During an interview in 2010 with Der Spiegel, Kurt Masur recalled that day.

    “It was a peaceful revolution,” he said. “And it was proof that people in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) had learned to act in a very politically deliberate way. I’m still impressed by how smart they were–and by the way the security forces remained calm. On that day, not even a single window was broken.”

    That same night, Kurt Masur led his orchestra.

    “The revolution was Monday evening and, by Tuesday morning at the latest, everyone went back to work as usual. I will never forget that concert,” he said.

    A month later, the Berlin Wall came down.

    Kurt Masur recorded dozens of albums throughout his career. In addition, he “led the Philharmonic in 909 performances; hired 42 Philharmonic musicians; led the Orchestra on 17 tours around the world, traveling to 75 cities in 30 countries, including the first-ever Philharmonic concerts in mainland China; and expanded the Philharmonic’s education programs,” according to a biography provided by the New York Philharmonic.

    A guest book for fans, friends, and family members to sign is available on Kurt Masur’s website. He is survived by his wife, Tomoko Masur, and his son Ken-David Masur, who is also a conductor.

  • Dementia Led to Robin Williams’ Suicide, Says His Widow, But What Is Lewy Body Dementia?

    Dementia may have been a contributing factor in beloved actor Robin Williams’ decision to take his own life last year.

    According to Williams’ widow, the actor was suffering from Lewy body dementia, which can lead to devastating symptoms that include vivid hallucinations and cognitive impairment.

    In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Susan Williams said she decided to speak out on her late husband’s condition to raise awareness about dementia and the devastating effects it had on her husband in the weeks before he died.

    “Lewy body dementia is what killed Robin,” Williams said. “It’s what took his life and that’s what I spent the last year trying to get to the bottom of, what took my husband’s life.”

    According to LifeScience.com, Lewy body dementia results after specific protein bodies cause problems with thinking, mood, movement and behavior.

    It is fairly common and currently affects about 1 million people in the United States, according to the National Institute on Aging. Typically, the disease strikes people at age 50 or older.

    An autopsy revealed last year that the beloved Dead Poet’s Society actor suffered from early-stage Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Susan Williams said the doctors who examined the autopsy reports said the disease progression was one of the worst they had ever seen.

    Dr. Dan Kaufer, director at the University of North Carolina Memory Disorders Program, told ABC News the disease can cause fear and extreme anxiety in the patient.

    “With many different presentations, you can see dramatic effects in thinking, emotions and behavior,” Kaufer said.

    Sufferers of this type of dementia can also have extremely graphic hallucinations that can include smell, as well as visual hallucinations.

    While it can be difficult to diagnose while a patient is alive, it can be detected following death, as was the case with Robin Williams. The autopsy of Williams’ brain showed Lewy bodies, as well as other brain changes that are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, according to his autopsy report last year.

    Susan Williams said her husband also had depression, anxiety and paranoia, and that his dementia symptoms had begun to worsen shortly before his death in August 2014.

    “He was keeping it together the best that he could, but the last month he could not,” she said. “It’s like the dam broke.”

    As her husband’s dementia symptoms worsened, Susan Williams said she believes he just wanted to take control of his life and his future.

    “I think he was just saying no and I don’t blame him one bit,” Williams said of her husband’s suicide.

  • Muhammad Ali Remains Hospitalized With Pneumonia

    Muhammad Ali is reportedly still in the hospital with pneumonia, but is “is making great progress,” according to Bob Gunnell, who is a spokesperson for the family.

    The three-time heavyweight boxing champion, humanitarian and native of Louisville, Kentucky remained at an undisclosed hospital to which he was admitted back on December 20th, the spokesperson shared. Aside from this small bit of news, Gunnell said he was not authorized by Muhammad Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, to make any additional comment.

    Ali’s daughter, however, told TMZ that her father was making great strides in his recovery.

    “My daddy is a strong man. He’s so resilient and we’re all very grateful and blessed,” she said. “When I see my dad, I’m gonna tell him about all the people who have sent their love. I know it’s gonna make him feel great to know all these people are thinking about him. He’ll love it,” Rasheda Ali-Walsh said.

    It certainly sounds like this is yet another fight that Muhammad Ali will win. The 72-year-old boxing legend has been fighting Parkinson’s disease for 30 years now. He was just 42 when he received his diagnosis.

    Muhammad Ali and his wife own a home in Louisville, but spend most of their time at a home in Arizona. It is believed that the ‘undisclosed’ hospital where Ali is a patient may be located there.

    Fans are praying for Muhammad Ali to keep up the good fight. The former heavyweight turns 73 on January 19th.

  • Robin Williams: Lewy Body Dementia Contributed to Suicide

    Robin Williams was reportedly suffering from Lewy body dementia at the time of his death and it likely played a role in him taking his life.

    The Mayo Clinic says “Lewy body dementia is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with Lewy body dementia may have hallucinations—which may appear in the form of animals, objects or deceased people from their past. Conversations with the aforementioned may occur.”

    According to a report from TMZ, patients suffering from Parkinson’s often have Lewy body dementia, too. And those suffering from both diseases often suffer adverse reactions to some Parkinson’s medication.

    Robin Williams’ wife, Susan Schneider, told authorities following her husband’s death that he complained about how the Parkinson’s meds made him feel in the days leading up to his suicide. Now she and her family agree–as do Robin Williams’ doctors–that Lewy body dementia played a strong role in the actor’s passing.

    Last Friday, autopsy reports divulged there were neither illegal drugs nor alcohol in Williams’ system at the time of his death. The only drugs found were those prescribed by his doctors.

    Robin Williams died by hanging in his home in northern California on August 11th. He was 63 years old.

    Do you suppose the knowledge that a medical reason likely contributed to Williams’ death will in any way lighten his family’s load? While it was known the actor and comedian was depressed in the weeks leading up to his death, the presence of Lewy body dementia might indicate he had little to no control over his actions. While this finding won’t make their loss any easier, it might lessen some of the feelings of abandonment and anger that some survivors of suicide experience.

  • Muhammad Ali: Is Boxing Linked To His Parkinson’s?

    Most people just assume that Muhammad Ali, the self-proclaimed “Greatest of all Time,” suffers from Parkinson’s Disease because of his years taking head shots in the boxing ring. However, Ali’s personal physician, Dr. Abraham Lieberman, said during an interview with BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme, that there is no way to know for sure why Ali got Parkinson’s Disease 30 years ago.

    Lieberman, who is also the Medical Director of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Centre, doesn’t think that it’s possible to conclude with certainty that Ali’s boxing career caused Parkinson’s. “People ask me about this and I tell them: look at George Foreman. He boxed longer than Muhammad did, took many more blows to the head and he’s on television selling his cookware,” Lieberman said. “I think that he (Ali) has typical Parkinson’s Disease. Did the boxing contribute? I don’t know. It may have.”

    Parkinson’s Disease affects nerve cells in the brain. Its symptoms include tremors, muscle rigidity, changes in speech, and difficulty walking. Although Ali has suffered from the disease since the mid 1980s, Lieberman said that the 72-year-old has only had issues walking over the past ten years. “His course has been more that of typical Parkinson’s Disease. If you look at the MRI of his brain it looks pretty good but it’s very difficult to factor in what sort of role did boxing play.”

    If you think that Parkinson’s has marred Ali’s retirement life, according to Lieberman, you would be wrong. “He’s in good spirits, he has some trouble walking but overall for having had Parkinson’s for 30 years, he’s doing okay.”

    The boxing world recently celebrated the 40th Anniversary of The Rumble in the Jungle. The boxing match, which took place in Zaire (currently Democratic Republic of the Congo) is often considered one the greatest sporting events of the 20th century. The epic match pitted heavyweight champ George Foreman against Ali, who had lost his world championship title, because he refused to enter the draft in 1967.

    By 1974, at 32, it seemed like Ali was washed up and had no chance of beating the 25-year-old Foreman. However, eight rounds into the match, Ali and his famous rope-a-dope strategy knocked out Foreman for one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

    Ali’s personality was always larger than life. He was the talker, the poet, the man with the hype. His daughter Hana says that her dad still has that wit about him, even today, “The last time I talked to my Dad, he was joking again about making a comeback,” said Hana. “He said, ‘I’m going to take my title back for the fourth time.’ Whenever I hear him joking like that, it makes me feel good. He’s still in there.”

  • Muhammad Ali Is Alive And Well 40 Years After The ‘Rumble In The Jungle’

    October 30 marks the 40th anniversary of his iconic boxing fight with George Foreman, and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali is alive and well. Despite suffering from a debilitating disease such as Parkinson’s, Ali is reportedly feeling well overall and his spirit remains strong.

    Ali’s daughter Hana Ali said that Parkinson’s disease has affected her father’s ability to speak and walk, but that his overall health is good. “He doesn’t mind the press talking about him dying. Sometimes he looks at me and he’ll go, ‘I’m not dying,’” said Hana.

    When Ali missed the October 8 showing of the documentary tribute to him called I Am Ali, speculation on the boxer’s health began. Hana said, however, that her father missed the premiere of the documentary because of his involvement at the 2nd Annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards on September 27 in Louisville.

    — MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) October 17, 2014

    “The last time I talked to my Dad, he was joking again about making a comeback,” said Hana. “He said, ‘I’m going to take my title back for the fourth time.’ Whenever I hear him joking like that, it makes me feel good. He’s still in there.”

    Ali will reportedly be attending private events on October 30 to celebrate the anniversary of the Rumble In the Jungle, but his spokesman said that the boxing champion would not be granting interviews.

    Rumble In The Jungle, the fight between Ali and heavyweight champion George Foreman, happened on October 30, 1974 in Zaire. More than 50,000 spectators showed up to see Ali fight Foreman.

    It was during Rumble In The Jungle when Ali invented his “Rope-a-Dope” tactic of hunkering by the ropes and letting Foreman tire himself out by punching Ali’s arms. After seven rounds of grueling fight, Ali managed to knock Foreman out with a precision right hook in the eighth round.

    — Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) October 29, 2014

    Both Ali and Foreman were given $5 million each by President Mobuto of Zaire for the fight, which made the victory even sweeter for Ali in 1974.

  • Google Acquires Lift Labs To Help Those With Parkinson’s

    Google announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Lift Labs, with the team joining the tech giant’s “moonshot” branch Google[x].

    Lift Labs makes a spoon that uses a stabilization technology to counter tremors for those with Parkinson’s disease. Here’s a look:

    “Their tremor-canceling device could improve quality of life for millions of people,” says Google in a Google+ post. “We’re also going to explore how their technology could be used in other ways to improve the understanding and management of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor.”

    Lift Labs said, “We’re excited to be joining Google[x], Google’s moonshot factory. We will continue to sell our Liftware system, and Google will enable us to reach even more people living with Parkinson’s or essential tremor who could benefit from using tremor-canceling devices every day.”

    Lift Labs will join Google Glass, self-driving cars, Project Loon Internet balloons, glucose level-checking contact lenses, and the recently unveiled Project Wing delivery drones at Google[x].

    Last month, Google[x] acquired Gecko Design. Last year, it acquired Makani Power.

    Image via YouTube

  • Robin Williams’s Wife Says He Had Parkinson’s Disease

    Days after the devastating news that actor and comedian Robin Williams committed suicide was released, his wife Susan Schneider revealed that her husband had been recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This is the same disorder that celebrities Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali suffer from.

    Williams was found dead at his home on Monday morning. According to Marin County Sheriff’s Lt. Keith Boyd, the actor committed suicide by hanging himself with his belt. The Good Will Hunting star was known to struggle with substance abuse and depression, but he was also suffering from something that he kept from the eye of the public: Parkinson’s disease.

    Robin Williams’s wife made a statement on Thursday thanking everyone for their support and revealed that the actor was in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. Read Schneider’s statement below.

    Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child–Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid.

    Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched. His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles.

    Robin’s sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson’s Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly.

    It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid.

    For those who aren’t familiar with Parkinson’s, Mayo Clinic describes it as “a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects your movement.” In addition to causing shaking, Parkinson’s also causes slurred speech and difficulty walking. Symptoms worsen over time, and there is no cure at this time.

    The news that Robin Williams had Parkinson’s disease seemed to resonate with quite a few of his fans.

    No details have been released on when Williams’s family will hold his funeral. It is rumored that Westboro Baptist Church will picket the funeral.

    Image via YouTube

  • Linda Ronstadt Awarded National Medal Of Arts

    Female rock and roll legend Linda Ronstadt was unable to make her induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last April due to Parkinson’s disease. However, with the assistance of a military aide who brought Ronstadt into the East Room of the White House by wheelchair, she was able to personally receive the highest US arts prize, the National Medal of Arts.

    Ronstadt, who is often referred to as “The First Lady of Rock,” was able to walk to the stage to receive her award from President Barack Obama on Monday. The 68-year-old is considered a pioneer for female rock musicians. Obama spoke of the importance of the ceremony, “The arts and humanities aren’t just there to be consumed when we have a moment … we need them.” He also admitted to having a little crush on Ronstadt when he was younger.

    The White House stated that Ronstadt “defied expectations to conquer American radio waves and help pave the way for generations of women artists.”

    Ronstadt is an 11-time Grammy Award winner. She also spanned many different music genres, some of her songs were considered country, some were thought to be standard rock, while others were geared towards a folk sound. A few of her greatest hits include: It’s So Easy, Different Drum, You’re No Good, Blue Bayou, and When Will I Be Loved. The singer-songwriter has also worked with several brand name rock and roll stars including James Taylor, Neil Young, Glenn Fry, Don Henley, and Emmylou Harris.

    Eleven others were honored with the National Medal of Arts on Monday: novelist, poet and playwright Julia Alvarez; the Brooklyn Academy of Music; Joan Harris, an arts patron; the dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones; the music theater composer John Kander; Jeffrey Katzenberg, the director and CEO of DreamWorks; the novelist Maxine Hong Kingston; the documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles; the architects Billie Tsien and Tod Williams and the visual artist James Turrell.

    What’s your favorite Linda Ronstadt song?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Casey Kasem Missing: Did Wife Have Him Moved Out of the Country?

    Casey Kasem is reportedly missing and an investigation into his whereabouts has been launched. Several reports say his wife has had the ailing American Top 40 host moved out of the country, much to the dismay of his children. Kasem, who is 82, suffers from advanced Parkinson’s disease. He has lost his ability to speak and has spent time in a number of medical facilities his wife, Jean Kasem, has chosen.

    Judge Daniel S. Murphy of the Los Angeles Superior Court has ordered a court investigator as well as adult protective services to find out where Casey Kasem is being treated and to report those findings back to the court immediately. Kasem’s children recently complained about not being able to spend time with their ill father. An agreement between them and Jean Kasem supposedly allow the children to visit with their father on a regular basis. Jean Kasem previously kept all of Casey Kasem’s family members away from him. A court-appointed physician informed the court prior to the agreement that Kasem had expressed a desire to visit with his children. Jean Kasem agreed to visitation, but only if daughter Julie would drop her bid for a legal conservatorship, which she did.

    Judge Murphy’s order came following a statement Jean Kasem’s attorney Craig Marcus made on her behalf during a hearing on Monday. Marcus indicated that while he didn’t know exactly where Casey Kasem was, he indicated that he was no longer in the United States.

    “I have no idea where he is,” Marcus said.

    Twitter is abuzz with speculation over Kasem’s disappearance, with one person tweeting the catch phrase the popular radio host used during his American Top 40 weekly show.

    This statement caused the judge to spring into action and resulted in stunned protests from Casey Kasem’s two daughters.

    “Your statements concern me even more,” the judge told Marcus, who declined to comment any further on the matter following the hearing.

    Where do you suppose Jean Kasem has moved her husband to and why? Is she trying to get him some kind of treatment for Parkinson’s disease that isn’t available in this country or is she simply trying to prevent him from spending any time with his children?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Kerri Kasem: Not Loving Visitation Agreement at All

    Kerri, Mike and Julie Kasem told the media in September that their father’s current wife was not allowing them to visit him.

    It got so bad that Casey Kasem’s ex-wife, children, friends and colleagues staged a protest in front of his home with signs declaring how much they miss and love Kasem.

    As Kasem’s Parkinson’s Disease worsened, the kids got more frantic to see him. They quickly decimated any public suspicions of seeking financial opportunities from their wealthy father; they were all trust fund recipients and now hold well-paying jobs. They are aware that they have already been cut out of the will since the new marriage and have accepted that.

    The Kasem offspring decided to take it a step further by bringing their concerns to the courts to request a conservatorship. According to the Associated Press, a settlement between the two parties has been reached to avoid that. The two younger siblings, Mike and Julie, are happy and relieved– but the eldest, Kerri Kasem is not.

    As the settlement was announced Friday, Kerri Kasem remains dissatisfied. The settlement terms are not publicized, but Kerri wishes to find an agreement that allows her to visit her father without some of those restrictions placed.

    What do you think: Is this a case of the younger, wicked step-mother trying to protect her name in the will, or a case of a wife knowing what’s best for her ailing husband? It is hoped that the affairs swirling around Casey Kasem are not causing extra distress for him as he deals with a debilitating illness.

    Image via Youtube

  • Casey Kasem: Conservatorship Denied In Case

    In early October, Casey Kasem’s children filed a petition to gain control of the ailing American Top 40 radio legend. On Tuesday, a judge denied their conservatorship saying Kasem was receiving adequate medical care.

    Kasem’s children filed for conservatorship because they said his wife of more than 30 years, Jean, was keeping them from seeing their 81-year-old father.

    Kasem’s daughter Julie filed the petition to get temporary conservatorship of her father to make sure he was being properly cared for while suffering from Parkinson’s disease and to allow his children from his first marriage to see their father whenever they could. In October, Julie told ABC News, “I don’t want any of the money. She can have all of it…all of it and then some. Just give us our father.”

    The conservatorship was denied because Superior Court Judge Lesley Green received reports from doctors that Kasem was receiving the medical attention he needs from his home with Jean.

    Lawyers for all parties were urged to reach an agreement that would allow Kasem’s three adult children, Julie, Mike and Kerri, to visit with their father by Judge Green. While Judge Green admits there is obvious “bad blood” between the parties, Kasem has told a doctor who evaluated him that he would like to see his children.

    Jean Kasem is denying that she was completely keeping Kasem’s children from visiting with him. Her lawyer Marshall Grossman said Kasem’s children denied an arrangement allowing them to see their father once a month and on all major holidays. “Jean has offered Casey’s other adult children visitation rights on major holidays, Casey’s birthday and every three weeks. They have declined this offer and it remains open,” said Grossman.

    Grossman told Judge Green, “We’re looking to bring peace, not piecemeal,” and he hopes an agreement can be reached to keep from further court action.

    A court date for December 20, 2013 was made by Judge Green where she hopes an visitation agreement for Kasem’s children has been reached.

    [Image via YouTube.]

  • Michael J Fox Opens Up About His Life

    Michael J. Fox of Back to the Future and Family Ties fame spoke with The Guardian about his most recent project, The Michael J. Fox Show among other things. The 52-year-old spoke about his desire to “entertain people” as motivation for his return to mainstream television.

    “Denis [Leary] told me after I did Curb that I should get back to work, and I wanted to, to create a world and entertain people. There is also a satisfaction in knowing that maybe you’re doing something bigger, but that’s not for me to ponder,” Michael said.

    The following video is the official trailer for NBC’s The Michael J. Fox Show.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXl-krlLoxg

    Many believed Michael’s career was over after his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease; however, he has continued working on such shows as Phineas and Ferb as well as Rescue Me. Michael explained the reason behind his perseverance as wanting to go against the grain.

    “If you pick me last, I will do everything I can to make you look like a fool,” Fox said.

    His innate desire to rise against adversity is not the only reason for the actor’s continued success. Michael credits his supportive wife of 25 years, Tracy Pollan, with being the main driving force.

    Michael spoke candidly about their relationship. “I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for Tracy, I don’t doubt that. People picture Tracy as this paragon of stoicism, this long-suffering wife, and that’s all b******t. This is my situation and she deals with it, and I never feel like, ‘I’m sorry you have to put up with this’ – it’s nothing like that. When I told her about the Parkinson’s I said to her, ‘Are you in for this?’ and she said, ‘I’m in for it.’ And that was it. It was still a struggle but that was a really great moment. She is so funny and she puts up with my happy idiot persona,” he said before adding, “She is so HOT! Sometimes I look at her and I just can’t believe it!”

    The following picture of Michael and his wife is from the 40th Emmy Awards.

    Michael J. Fox has been an activist for stem cell research, and open about his hopes to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease. However, his interest has not been in vain.

    “Finding a cure? I don’t view that as something that will happen in my lifetime. That’s – that’s not my purpose, to find a cure for myself, and that’s not noble of me, that’s just the way it goes. But I know somebody will one day figure it out,” Michael J. Fox said.

    He has fought to ensure that the disease does not restrict his enjoyment of life as shown from the following interview.

    [Images Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy Of Paul Hudson and Alan Light]

  • Billy Connolly Treated for Cancer, Parkinson’s

    Reuters reports that comedian Billy Connolly has endured an operation to handle an early case of prostate cancer, and was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

    The operation to remove the cancer was successful, but Parkinson’s is an incurable degenerative disease, and Connolly is reported to be receiving appropriate treatment. The actor, 70, will be taking some time in the United States to manage the Parkinson’s, having fully recovered from the cancer.

    The Telegraph caught up with Dr. Kieran Breen, the research director at Parkinson’s UK, who said that a Parkinson’s sufferer only loses about three or four years off their lifespan, and that sufferers died more with the disease than of it.

    The Parkinson’s had begun to take effect earlier this year, with Connolly forgetting lines and jokes during performances. He said of the experience that it was “f*****g terrifying [to] feel like I’m going out of my mind.” Memory loss is one of the initial effects of the disease, along with tremors while idle, muscular rigidity, and an unsteady balance.

    Steve Ford, the chief executive at Parkinson’s UK, said of Billy Connolly’s diagnosis: “Put simply [he] is a much loved comedy legend and we are sorry to hear that he is being treated for the early symptoms of Parkinson’s… we salute Billy’s bravery in speaking out about his condition at this difficult time… Many people, with the right medication, continue to live a full and active live with Parkinson’s, but for some, it can be life changing and it is vital that Billy gets the support he needs to live with this complex condition.”

    The official press statement from his website said that his diagnosis will in no way affect his work, and he will soon begin shooting a new TV series in New Zealand after January 2014.

    [Image via this hilarious YouTube performance from Billy Connolly in New York]

  • Michael J. Fox on His Career, His Family, and a Sense of Humor

    Over a decade after Spin City ended its five-year run, Michael J. Fox is coming back to network TV. Last fall, NBC announced that it had picked up a new network comedy starring Michael J. Fox. The actor will star in a role that mirrors his own life, including his Parkinson’s Disease.

    Fox took to the pages of the latest issue of AARP The Magazine to reveal where he’s at in life, his marriage, and his struggles with his disease.

    “I’m always aware that there are others who don’t feel so good and can’t express themselves the way I can,” Fox told the AARP. “That’s no small factor in the way I’ve been able to deal with this.”

    Fox stated that his sense of humor has been paramount to dealing with his long-term condition, but that it is sometimes a struggle. He and his wife, Tracy Pollan, have four children, who are learning early the virtue of patience.

    “Sometimes the kids will need their dad’s help and he’ll say, ‘I’m not feeling great right now,’” said Pollan. “But on the flip side, the first thing he does is go back to the kids when he’s feeling good. It teaches them patience and empathy.”

    On playing a role that is so similar to his own life, Fox mused that his Parkinson’s is too far progressed to ignore, saying, “It’s too difficult to hide it. I could manage it for a scene or so, but it would fall apart over time. As long as I play a guy with Parkinson’s, I can do anything.”

    (Image via Twitter)

  • Strokes That are “Silent” Linked to Parkinson’s Disease

    A new study has found that small strokes, also known as “silent” strokes, can lead to Parkinson’s disease. While the symptoms of a severe stroke are immediate and apparent, a silent stroke can often show no outward symptoms. The link to Parkinson’s could help explain why Parkinson’s disease symptoms often appear to pop up out of nowhere.

    A silent stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked for a very short time. The study, published this month in the journal Brain Behavior and Immunity, demonstrated that a silent stroke can lead to the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, a brain region responsible for movement and coordination.

    “At the moment we don’t know why dopaminergic neurons start to die in the brain and therefore why people get Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Emmanuel Pinteaux, who led the research at the University of Manchester. “There have been suggestions that oxidative stress and aging are responsible. What we wanted to do in our study was to look at what happens in the brain away from the immediate area where a silent stroke has occurred and whether that could lead to damage that might result in Parkinson’s disease.”

    The finding was surprising to researchers, who induced mild strokes in mice to simulate silent strokes. Six days after the strokes, Pinteaux and his team found neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra of the mice.

    “It is well known that inflammation following a stroke can be very damaging to the brain,” said Pinteaux. “But what we didn’t fully appreciate was the impact on areas of the brain away from the location of the stroke. Our work identifying that a silent stroke can lead to Parkinson’s disease shows it is more important than ever to ensure stroke patients have swift access to anti-inflammatory medication. These drugs could potentially either delay or stop the on-set of Parkinson’s disease.”

  • Google’s Sergey Brin is Searching for a Cure to Parkinson’s

    Aside from trying to get Google+ on track and dealing with Penguin updates, Google’s Sergey Brin is working on a project that’s a little more personal to him, as well as those who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, a a degenerative disorder that attacks the central nervous system. The fight against Parkinson’s is personal to Brin because his family history, along with his DNA indicates he may contract the disease as he gets older.

    According to Bloomberg.com, Brin discovered he was at risk for Parkinson’s in 2008, when the necessary genetic makeup that gives him a 50 percent chance of contracting the disease at some point in his life. While his assistance towards research on the disease began in 2005, the revelation that he may become a victim increased the amount of support:

    So far Brin has donated $132 million, mostly through the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, to help create a DNA database of 7,000 patients and to support work on the first targeted treatments that aim at the genetic causes of the movement disorder. [Emphasis added]

    Furthermore, Brin says if he could write a $1 billion check that would guaranteed a cure for Parkinson’s, it “would be the easiest one I have written.”

    It’s not like Brin is just throwing money at the problem, hoping it will go away. A number of initiatives have popped up thanks to Brin’s immense contributions, including:

    Among the recipients of Brin’s largess is the company his wife, Anne Wojcicki, started to create a database of genetic information and which found that Brin had the Parkinson’s gene.

    Brin’s focus has been on medicine and treatments that slow the progress of Parkinson’s, if not block them completely. The Google co-founder’s commitment to Parkinson’s prevention even caught the eyes of some big-name pharmaceutical companies:

    The advances are encouraging Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc to pursue a new class of medicines that may become the first to slow the progress of Parkinson’s disease in a unique collaboration that Brin is funding.

    There have also been positive results, thanks to Brin’s assistance:

    The data effort has started to yield results. Researchers at 23andMe last year said they had spotted a gene that may protect against the harmful effects of LRRK2, explaining why some people with the mutation never get the disease.

    Considering the increasing amount of criticism Google has been receiving, Brin’s efforts should not be overlooked. His financial support and awareness efforts have yielded some incredibly positive results that may one day point to the cure for Parkinson’s disease.