Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that targets cells in the brain that control movement. Symptoms include tremors, stiffness and poor balance as well as depression or dementia. Some patients experience an impaired "autonomic" nervous system, the part of the nervous system that helps control blood pressure as well as the bowel and bladder.

The disease, which affects about 1 million people in the United States, targets brain cells called neurons that produce an important chemical known as dopamine, a chemical messenger that transmits signals within the brain. Normally, dopamine operates in a delicate balance with other "neurotransmitters" to help coordinate the millions of nerve and muscle cells involved in movement.

Because Parkinson's patients have a loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain, the coordination among nerve and muscle cells is disrupted. The cause of the disease is unknown.

At UCSF Medical Center, the Parkinson's Disease Clinic and Research Center provides diagnosis and comprehensive treatment including physical therapy, medication, surgery and services for family support. We have been a Center of Excellence of the National Parkinson Foundation since 1992. Our team is involved in research to find a cure and provides the latest treatments and medications as soon as they are available.

Medications have been successful in treating early symptoms of the disease but become less reliable as the disease advances. Other treatments offered at UCSF include surgery, such as deep brain stimulation, which can relieve symptoms but doesn't cure the disease.

Audio Inteview — Hear Dr. Jill Ostrem, a UCSF neurologist who specializes in movement disorders, discuss advances, including medication and surgery, to treat Parkinson's disease.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated July 21, 2008