Brain Storms
My Fight Against Parkinson's and the Race to Unlock the Secrets of One of the Brain's Most Mysterious Diseases
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A star science journalist with Parkinson's reveals the inner workings of this perplexing disease
Seven million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson's—with sixty thousand new cases diagnosed each year in the US alone—and it remains an enigma, with doctors, researchers and patients hunting for a cure. In Brain Storms, award-winning journalist Jon Palfreman tells their story, a story that takes on urgency when he is diagnosed with the debilitating illness.
Palfreman chronicles how scientists have laboured to crack the mystery of what was once called “the shaking palsy,” from the earliest clinical descriptions to the cutting edge of molecular neuroscience. He charts the victories and setbacks of a massive international effort to best the disease, referred to as one of the best windows into the brain itself.
Brain Storms is also a profoundly personal investigation into Palfreman’s own struggles and those of others living with Parkinson’s. From a professional ballet dancer who “tricks” her body to move freely again, to a “frozen” patient who cannot walk but astounds doctors when he is able to ride a bicycle, Palfreman shines a light on the varied and ingenious ways patients cope with having their bodies steadily taken away from them.
The race is on to discover a means to stop or reverse neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Brain Storms is the long-overdue, riveting detective story of that race, and a passionate, insightful account into the lives of those affected.
PRAISE FOR THE CASE OF THE FROZEN ADDICTS
“I could not put it down.” —OLIVER SACKS
“It is as absorbing as a good mystery, as entertaining as an exciting novel, and as enlightening as a good biography.” —NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Award-winning journalist Palfreman's fast-paced, captivating, and crisp narrative of patients, doctors, and researchers is part scientific investigation, part medical detective story, and part memoir, and it opens wide a window into the world of Parkinson's. He introduces readers to James Parkinson, who in 1817 offered the first clinical description of the disease; Jean-Martin Charcot, who accurately described the signs and symptoms of what appeared to be a movement disorder; Constantin Tretiakoff, who demonstrated that the disease was caused by damage to the substantia nigra portion of the brain; and Frederick Lewy, who discovered the pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's. Palfreman, who was diagnosed with the disease during his research, investigates drug therapies, such as the routine L-dopa therapy initiated in the 1960s and still used frequently today, and experimental drugs such as NPT088, which has yet to be approved by the FDA. There are more than seven million Parkinson's sufferers worldwide and Palfreman shares some of their stories, including that of dancer Pam Quinn, who has learned to "trick" her symptoms and teaches her methods to other Parkinson's patients. He reminds readers that a diagnosis of Parkinson's is a life sentence, but Palfreman remains optimistic about what new discoveries may be able to offer Parkinson's patients.
