Overview

Mayo Clinic Jacksonville is a Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence.

It is estimated that more then a million people suffer from Parkinson's disease (PD) in the United States alone. PD affects more people than multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) combined. PD is a progressive neurological disorder that affects certain areas of the brain responsible for movement. It was first described in 1817 by Dr. James Parkinson, an English physician. Common symptoms include rest tremor, slowness of movement (called bradykinesia), muscle stiffness (called rigidity), gait and posture disturbance. Other symptoms may include mask face, drooling, difficulty in writing (called micrographia), falling, freezing, reduced arm swing while walking, speech and swallowing problems, mental confusion, sleep disturbances, constipation, and others.

PD and other movement disorders are probably caused by multiple factors, both genetic (inherited) and environmental (acquired). Our lab is interested in finding out how much the genetic factors contribute to the cause of PD and other movement disorders. Our work is sponsored by the Morris K. Udall National Institute of Health Parkinson's Disease Center of Excellence grant awarded to Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. By studying patients with PD and related disorders, we can gain valuable insight into the underlying causes of these disorders. Our lab also works to build the PD and Related Disorders Brain Bank at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. We collaborate with Matthew Farrer, Ph.D. on the genetics of PD and with Dennis Dickson, M.D. on the pathology of PD. We also collaborate with colleagues from Mayo Clinic Arizona and Rochester.