Welcome to the inaugural edition of our newsletter, a joint effort of the University of Minnesota's Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research and the MnDRIVE DBS Core! We are excited to embark on this journey with you, our valued community members, as we strive to cultivate a supportive and empowering environment for individuals navigating the effects of Parkinson's disease on their lives.
Our mission with this newsletter is to promote a supportive community by bringing together people with Parkinson's disease, their loved ones, our Center, and partners. In these newsletters, you will find a wealth of resources from upcoming events both large and small, information on how to find and get involved with support groups, updates on discoveries in the field of Parkinson's disease, opportunities to become involved in research, and more.
Together, let's embark on a journey of knowledge, support, and empowerment as we navigate a path toward improved health and well-being. If you have an event or a resource you would like to share with us, please see the contact info at the bottom of this issue.
Dr. Jerry Vitek, the chair of the UMN Neurology department, and his high school friend, Larry Schneiderman, were recently brought back into each other’s lives because of Parkinson's disease. An article about this was recently published in Brief, a University of Minnesota weekly digest, and can be found here.
Move, Move, Move!
You have likely heard it said before that exercise is important for overall health. This is especially true for patients with Parkinson's disease, due to the decrease of dopamine in the brain. Research has found that performing aerobic exercises such as walking, cycling, jogging, kickboxing, rowing, and dancing causes dopamine to be released.
Participating in a group exercise program can help you maximize the other benefits of exercise. In addition to increasing dopamine in your brain, participating in group exercise programs can help you meet other individuals who may share your struggles, and can also give you something to look forward to every week.
Even if you are not able to participate in exercise programs within your community, walking at a brisk pace for at least thirty minutes can be beneficial. If a brisk walk is not up your alley, you can also find many videos of guided chair workouts on YouTube. For more information regarding the benefits of exercise for Parkinson's Disease, check out this article from the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.
Get Connected! The following are ongoing weekly/monthly groups.
This list is maintained by the American Parkinson's Disease Association. These groups meet monthly. Date, time, and location are determined by each support group.
Most of these groups meet weekly. Activity, time, location, and dates depend on each program.
Rocking the Research Lab
In March of this year, a group of people from a local chapter of Rock Steady Boxing came and toured Dr. MacKinnon's and Dr. Cooper's labs and were given a chance to look at, and even try out, research equipment, including motion-capture video recording, treadmill “video games”, and manipulanda that test limb rigidity.
Drs. MacKinnon and Cooper also discussed how the equipment fits into each of their different research projects. Dr. MacKinnon has several different projects he is currently working on, including studies examining the relationship between Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and freezing of gait, aerobic exercise, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) behavior sleep disorder, and neuroplasticity in the Parkinsonian state.
Dr. Cooper also has several different projects that are actively being conducted. Dr. Cooper's lab focuses on DBS's effects on gait, postural instability, balance, and response inhibition. He is also investigating the timing of DBS therapy.
Would you like to:
Help contribute to the search for improved Parkinson’s treatments?
Find out what the heck a “manipulandum” is?
See a weirdly large treadmill?
If you said yes to any of the above, find out how you can participate in research with Drs. MacKinnon or Cooper by emailing pdresearch@umn.edu.
If you receive care through M Health Fairview and have questions about your clinical care, you may send a message to your medical team via MyChart. If you need immediate assistance, during business hours please call 612-626-6688.
Interested in participating in research? pdresearch@umn.edu Have a resource or upcoming event you would like to share? Email pdresearch@umn.edu
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This newsletter is a service of the MnDRIVE DBS Core at the University of Minnesota. If you would like to support Parkinson's Disease Research at the University of Minnesota, donations can be made here!
