Living with Parkinson’s comes with a variety of symptoms, some of which can be unexpected, and frankly, embarrassing. Drooling, bladder issues and sexual dysfunction are hard to talk about, even with loved ones or your doctor – and can affect your self-image,  your intimate relationships or the way you move through the world.  In audio from this Third Thursdays webinar, listen to our expert panel of people living with Parkinson’s, a care partner and a movement disorder specialist discuss Parkinson’s taboo topics and ways that you can navigate hard conversations and embarrassment.  

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0 

Whether you’ve been newly diagnosed or have been living with Parkinson’s for many years, The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Parkinson’s Buddy Network is a free, online platform that helps you find new connections, access educational resources and engage in important dialogue. Join our community today at parkinsonsbuddynetwork.org.  

The Foundation’s landmark study, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, also known as PPMI, is recruiting volunteers. Join the study that’s changing everything at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi. 

The biology behind what causes Parkinson’s is complex, with only about a quarter of cases with clear genetic drivers. The environment – where you live, the air you breathe, the food you eat, the world around you – plays a key role in PD. Emerging research is showing environmental exposures to things like pesticides and pollution may interact with a person’s genetics and contribute to the disease. And there’s a myriad of other factors still being investigated, from the forces that drive your access to neighborhoods with clean air and water, good doctors and healthy living opportunities to psychosocial factors like stress and discrimination. In audio from this Third Thursdays Webinar, listen to our expert panel discuss the latest research and ways you can get involved to end preventable exposures and advocate for Parkinson’s policy.  

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0   

The Foundation’s landmark study, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, also known as PPMI, is recruiting volunteers. Join the study that’s changing everything at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi. 

The drug development pipeline is key to bringing new therapies to people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). With major breakthroughs in research in the past year, including a new biomarker for PD, The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) study and other initiatives can be leveraged to create better designed trials. This audio from our Third Thursdays Webinar features a conversation about all the ways clinical trial design is changing, and why leaders in the space believe those changes will lead to better treatments. The webinar includes contributions from a person with PD, a researcher and an industry leader.     

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0   

Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, you can help move research forward. Join the study that’s changing everything. Find out more at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi. 

Dating and beginning new relationships with Parkinson’s involve distinct challenges, joys and fears. In this frank and funny podcast, our experts discuss how they face considerations like building and maintaining confidence, disease disclosure, and the importance of self-knowledge and self-care in new relationships. They remind us all that no matter what we’re facing, dating and finding love can be fun and fulfilling. 

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0   

Whether you’ve been newly diagnosed or have been living with Parkinson’s for many years, The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Parkinson’s Buddy Network is a free, online platform that helps you find new connections, access educational resources and engage in important dialogue. Join our community today at parkinsonsbuddynetwork.org. 

The Foundation’s landmark study, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, also known as PPMI, is recruiting volunteers. Join the study that’s changing everything at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi. 

We know exercise is important for people with Parkinson’s. Once you’ve decided to move more, what next? In this audio from our Third Thursdays Webinar, our experts discuss strategies for making exercise a meaningful part of your life. They present ways to make time for exercise and to make the most of it, including being aware of different types, frequencies and intensities. This discussion will help you find a way to get moving and stay motivated. 

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0  

Join a Foundation-hosted run/walk event. Or register for the Unity Walk. Every mile moves us one step closer to a cure for Parkinson's. Learn more at michaeljfox.org. 

Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, you can help move research forward. Join the study that’s changing everything. Find out more at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi.  

One key pillar of The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s research strategy is a focus on “de-risking" potential treatments for Parkinson’s disease. This episode of our award-winning “Parkinson’s Science POV” series explains how lowering the risk associated with developing new therapies leads to a more robust pipeline of treatments. The episode details several recent successes of the strategy. 

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0 

Join a study today to help speed progress toward better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s disease. To search for studies in your area, visit Fox Trial Finder at foxtrialfinder.org. 

Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, you can help move research forward. Join the study that’s changing everything. Find out more at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi. 

Doctors have been using DaTscan brain imaging as a tool to help diagnose the Parkinson’s disease (PD) for more than a decade, but even people who know a lot about the disease often still have questions about its role — and the role of other imaging tools — in diagnosis and care. What’s a DaTscan, and how does it relate to PET, SPECT and MRI? When is a DaTscan or other brain imaging tool used in PD? Are there any risks? 

In this audio from our Third Thursdays Webinar, experts and people with PD offer listeners an impromptu course in Brain Imaging 101. You’ll learn to differentiate the different types of imaging used to visualize the brain and how they are used in PD research and care. You’ll also learn the latest in efforts to visualize alpha-synuclein, the protein that misfolds and clumps in Parkinson’s, and what its selective imaging in the living brain will mean for PD clinical trials and care. 

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0  

Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, you can help move research forward. Join the study that’s changing everything. Find out more at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi.

The holidays can be a time of joyful celebration with those we love. They may also come with the stress of travel, disruptions to your regular routine or even loneliness.  For those living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), or those taking care of someone they love with the disease, these feelings can be intensified. This podcast offers tips to people living with PD, as well as their care partners, friends and family, for how to prepare — mind, body and suitcase — to make your holidays happy.  

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0   

Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, you can help move research forward. Join the study that’s changing everything. Find out more at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi. 

In a year of remarkable progress for the Parkinson’s field, we’re entering a new era for better understanding the biology of the disease, with the identification of a breakthrough biomarker accelerating new therapeutics through the clinical pipeline and legislators on Capitol Hill moving toward legislation that unites the federal government on a mission to treat, prevent and cure Parkinson’s disease. 

What does this progress mean for researchers studying Parkinson’s and for those living with the disease? And what will come next? 

Tune in as scientists and staff from The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) answer these questions and share insights in our latest Third Thursdays Webinar. 

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0  

Join a study today to help speed progress toward better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s disease. To search for studies in your area, visit Fox Trial Finder at foxtrialfinder.org.  

Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, you can help move research forward. Join the study that’s changing everything. Find out more at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi. 

In a groundbreaking discovery earlier this year, a global consortium found a new variant in the GBA gene that is associated with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD) for people of African ancestry. The finding marks the first African ancestry-specific genetic risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. In this podcast, researchers share the human stories behind the discovery, which underscores the importance of international collaboration and the participation of underrepresented communities in research.  

Themes covered in this discussion: 

• (02:05) – Breaking down the genetic discovery and why it’s important for PD research 
• (05:27) ­– More on the genetic samples that resulted in this discovery 
• (06:53) –Why the GBA1 gene is of interest and its connection to PD 
• (11:13) – How the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) maintains privacy and confidentiality of data from study participants 
• (13:15) – How people should think about genetics as a risk factor for PD 
• (14:55) – Capacity building and building community trust 
• (19:57) –Why this discovery takes us closer to finding better treatments and a cure for PD 
• (21:51) – Story behind accidental discovery of GBA1 variant 
• (22:50) – Background on GP2 and excitement on the GBA1 variant discovery 
• (33:17) – Ethnicity and health risk factors and other determinants of health 
• (35:03) – Importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in science and to The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s mission 
• (36:52) – Research in PD historically focused on people of Northern European ancestry  
• (38:09) –Why people from underrepresented groups need to lead these studies 
• (39:30) – Importance of including underrepresented populations across the research pipeline 
• (40:18) –Why research participation is important and how you can get involved 

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0  

Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, you can help move research forward. Join the study that’s changing everything. Find out more at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi 

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have lots of questions about probiotics, prebiotics, laxatives and fiber. That’s because constipation and bloating are some of the more bothersome but less talked about symptoms of PD. In this audio from our Third Thursdays Webinar, experts and people with PD discuss effective ways for managing constipation and other gut-related symptoms. You’ll also learn about emerging treatments for constipation, the gut-brain connection and why the gut is linked to Parkinson’s. 

Like our podcasts? Please consider leaving a rating or review and sharing the series with your network. https://apple.co/3p02Jw0  

Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, you can help move research forward. Join the study that’s changing everything. Find out more at michaeljfox.org/podcast-ppmi.