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Parkinson's disease (PD) affects an estimated 1.1 million Americans and 10 million people worldwide.

Symptoms of PD include motor symptoms and nonmotor symptoms like anxiety and depression.

Stress management techniques, increased physical activity, and healthier dietary habits may reduce symptoms.

High-intensity aerobic exercise appears to be neuroprotective and may repair neurons damaged by PD.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting neurons responsible for producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter vital for brain function. At the heart of the disease is alpha-synuclein, a protein found throughout the nervous system. Though alpha-synuclein is necessary for brain function, it can clump into deposits known as Lewy bodies, which, over time, wreak havoc on the brain.

The clinical presentation of PD typically begins with resting tremors, slowed movement (bradykinesia), or rigidity, followed by gait instability. The deficits in motor features are often asymmetric, meaning one arm may swing normally while walking, while the other does not. Nonmotor symptoms such as sleep disturbance, depression, loss of smell, and constipation can sometimes precede motor symptoms by several years. Constipation and other gastrointestinal issues often occur first, as alpha-synuclein abnormalities are thought to originate in the GI tract up to 20 years before motor symptoms. Unfortunately, diagnosis is typically made only after motor symptoms appear, at which point more than half of dopaminergic neurons may already be lost.

PD affects an estimated 1.1 million Americans and 10 million people worldwide, making it the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease and the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. PD primarily affects individuals over the age of 50 and becomes more common with age; males are 1.4 times more likely to develop PD than females; and........

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