Yep, it’s your Deep Brain Thoughts author, Tom, back at his blog writers desk, furiously typing away at the old typewriter! (Oops, wrong century… I meant computer). I’ve been gone way too long… but with it being Parkinson’s Awareness Month, I had to ‘jump back into the game‘ as they say. And as I always seem to say at this time of the year: ...
Little did I know, back in 2017 when I started this blog - and this particular series - that I would end up writing a 'Part 5'...nor did I know that my journey to an 'electric brain' wasn't complete yet....
You might be saying right now,”No No No, Tom! You got the title wrong – it’s supposed to be ‘ The Gift that keeps on GIVING’, not TAKING!” Well, I appreciate your concern, but I beg to differ – as the saying goes, “What I have written, I have written!!” Because the ‘Gift‘ I am going to be talking about today is none other than our old ‘friend‘ ...
Man, I can’t believe its 2022 -seems just like yesterday I was a young 21 year old slick-looking (but kinda geeky) “punk” who had just graduated from college, and working at his first computer job… Now look at me!! (Uh oh, I guess I’d better not go down that road or I’ll be moaning and groaning on and on forever!) ...
I assume that most of us have read (or seen the movie version) "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", as first written by Robert Louis Stevenson. But just in case you haven't, let me give you a quick - and hopefully non-spoiling - synopsis: Dr. Jekyll, a somewhat mild-mannered doctor (described as a kind, sociable, amiable, reputable gentleman) feels that there is always a battle going on between the good and evil within himself. He'd spent a good part of his life trying to repress, as he believes, the evil urges within him. Failing to do so, he instead develops a serum (potion) to separate himself from the 'evil' side that is within him ...
I love the Christmas season… Always have – especially when I was little. It was magical in a way… of course, then I grew up to be what I am today – an old “fart” – and Christmas seemed to loose that magic, and instead became a stressful sort of yearly ‘chore‘ (and no, my name isn’t Ebenezer!) Well, let’s face it – I’m sure that all of us get pretty stressed out this time of year! ...
When talking about Parkinson’s, Michael J. Fox – I’m sure all of you know who he is! – is fond of saying, “Science is HARD!” And I totally agree with him – science, especially medical science ...
For me, last year – 2020 – was a terrible year! Not just because of COVID-19 and all the rigmarole associated with it, but also because of this blasted cramping left foot/toes of mine. I’ve ridden a bike every year since I was 5 years old; but for the first time, I NEVER rode my bike at all during 2020…
Wow, this is my first blog post after 'coming back' to the blog. And I'm writing it for this year's Parkinson's Awareness Month! Feels good to finally get back into…
By now everyone reading this knows I like definitions. It wasn't' like that originally... I was more like "Definitions?!? Bah Humbug!!" But after working for a number of years with a great coworker we called 'The Word Man' (who was always handy with a definition of a word), I came to appreciate definitions a little bit more...
If you have been close to a Parkinson patient, I know you have heard them mention being 'On' or 'Off'.... and maybe you have wondered exactly what they mean by this... "On? Like a light-bulb? They aren't glowing, that's for sure!"...
Today I am implementing one of the things I said I would do with my new blog format - and that is introduce some 'guest' bloggers! Although I try my best to give you my thoughts, knowledge, and research that I've done, I'll be the first to say that I don't know everything! Plus, what I tell you is MY experience; but it is always good to get someone else's perspective and experience, as they may have gone or going through things that I haven't had experience with. So, learning from these wonderful folks is a good thing! ...
I'm continuing my series on Parkinson's lessor-known (or what I call illegitimate children) symptoms. So what will we be discussing today? Something that is probably familiar with most Parkies out there - including myself, yet isn't discussed as much as it should be, and that is...
"What? We Parkies can get free Frisbees, you say? Cool!" No, no no... I said FREEBIES, not Frisbees!! Listen up now, people!!
"Puttering? What the heck does that mean? Playing golf? Are we supposed to go golfing in order to help with our Parkinson's symptoms??" Hey, I understand the confusion. Puttering isn't really a word, I don't think ...
Well, here we go with the second part of this series! Bet you are wondering what less-talked about symptoms I'll be discussing today, huh? Drum roll, please... In today's post…
What is a 'handicap'? If we look it up, the definition goes like this: "A physical or mental disability making participation in certain of the usual activities of daily living more difficult". Well, I think we can all agree that Parkinson's Disease definitely can fall into that definition! However ...
I recently read an article from a fellow Parkinson's blogger, Allison (The Perky Parkie) which had an impact on me. The article spoke of an individual who was in a therapy session with her; he'd experienced a traumatic brain injury due to an auto accident and was trying to 'come to grips' ...
A test known as the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay, or alphaSyn-SAA, was able to measure the accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein in the blood up to 10 years before a clinical [...]
A six-week Pilates-based exercise program helped reduce bradykinesia of the upper limbs in a small group of people with Parkinson’s disease, a study from Brazil reports. The study, “Short-term effects [...]
Variations in genes that are important for the function of lysosomes — the cellular equivalent of garbage disposals, which are responsible for removing molecular waste from cells — may help [...]
Researchers have developed analogs of cannabinol (CBN), a lesser-known cannabinoid, that show neuroprotective abilities in lab studies not unlike the effects from the active chemicals in the cannabis plant, which [...]
Researchers in Canada have developed a new method to generate functional dopaminergic neurons, the dopamine-producing nerve cells lost in Parkinson’s disease, from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC). The scientists used [...]
Self-care is important for people with Parkinson’s disease, and patients should be armed with tools for tracking symptoms, keeping informed about the disease, and leaning on support from others. That’s [...]
Toxic substances that enter via the nose or gut give rise to toxic protein clumps that eventually cause Parkinson’s disease, researchers propose. “In both the brain-first and body-first scenarios the [...]
Researchers have found a way to better control the preclinical generation of key neurons depleted in Parkinson's disease, pointing toward a new approach for a disease with no cure and [...]
A new study found certain genetic variants could help explain how long-term pesticide exposure could increase the risk of Parkinson's disease. [...]
Although there are still some aspects pending confirmation for its use in the clinical setting, and its resolution needs to be improved slightly, a study has shown that a method [...]
Researchers have used artificial intelligence techniques to massively accelerate the search for Parkinson's disease treatments. The researchers designed and used an AI-based strategy to identify compounds that block the clumping, [...]
A new study offers a first look into the complex molecular changes that occur in brain cells with Lewy bodies, which are key pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease and some [...]
New hypothesis paper builds on a growing scientific consensus that Parkinson's disease route to the brain starts in either the nose or the gut and proposes that environmental toxicants are [...]
Lewy body disease may be more common in middle-aged people than previously thought, according to a recent study. In the study, almost one in ten of over 50-year-olds were found [...]