Searching for a cure

Parkinson’s disease impacts an estimated one million people in the United States, according to the National Parkinson Foundation.

Local residents are working hard to raise awareness and research the disease. The Parkinson Association of Alabama (PAA) recently named Vestavia Hills resident Mary T. Miller as its executive director. The organization works closely with UAB, where local resident David Standaert is the chair of the neurology department.

 Parkinson’s disease is defined as a progressive neurological disorder associated with a loss of dopamine-generating cells in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination. As Parkinson’s progresses, the amount of dopamine produced in the brain decreases, leaving a person unable to control movement normally. 

Four key motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are tremor of the hands, arms, legs or jaw; muscle rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; slowness of movement; and postural instability. There are also many more non-motor symptoms including dementia or confusion, fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression and anxiety. 

Founded in 1978, PAA is a local nonprofit organization committed to providing support, encouraging action, increasing awareness, and supporting research to lead to new and improved treatments for Parkinson’s disease. 

PAA is the only organization that represents all Parkinson’s patients in the state, and the board of directors remains current on the latest legislative and research information. 

Miller worked for 10 years for Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, where she was the director of alumni. 

She is excited to combine her passion, skills and experience to help the foundation through various research and fundraising activities.

“My main goal is to increase awareness of who we are and what we are doing,” said Miller. “We work a lot with the UAB neurology department. They are leaders in research of Parkinson’s disease.”

Standaert explains the biggest misconceptions surrounding the disease.

“The most common myth is that there is no treatment,” said Standaert. “This simply isn’t true. We have a number of excellent treatments that can greatly improve the symptoms and restore a good quality of life for many years. Most of these medications are based on replacing the missing dopamine through one means or another. There are also important effects of non-medication treatments, especially exercise. What we don’t have is a cure for Parkinson’s — which is the focus of much of our laboratory work.”

Standaert explains that UAB had a very important role in two new treatments for the disease, which were approved at the beginning of the year: a pill called Rytary and an infusion pump system called Duopa.

“Both of these are better ways of delivering dopamine therapies, and important parts of the studies were done at UAB,” he said. “More upstream, we are working hard on new approaches to slow the disease progression. One of the exciting new ideas is that the immune system may have an important role, and just this month we have received a major new grant award from the NIH to explore how this could lead to better treatment.”

Standaert shares his advice for those who have a loved one battling the disease.

“It is important to remember that Parkinson’s disease affects the whole family, and both the patient and caregivers need support,” he said. “We do recommend that patients visit a movement disorder specialist at least twice a year to ensure that the diagnosis is accurate and the treatment is the best possible. Families should take advantage of the many support groups in the state.”

On April 23, PAA will host their signature event, Taste for a Cure, at Old Car Heaven. Proceeds will help fund research as doctors search for a cure for the disease.

For more or to purchase tickets, visit parkinsonalabama.com. 

If you would like to help sponsor the event or have questions please contact Miller at maryt@parkinsonalabama.org.