A star science journalist with Parkinson's reveals the inner workings
of this perplexing disease
Seven million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson's, and doctors,
researchers, and patients continue to hunt for a cure. In Brain
Storms, the award-winning journalist Jon Palfreman tells their story, a
story that became his own when he was diagnosed with the debilitating
illness.
Palfreman chronicles how scientists have worked to crack the mystery of
what was once called the shaking palsy, from the earliest clinical
descriptions of tremors, gait freezing, and micrographia to the cutting
edge of neuroscience, and charts the victories and setbacks of a massive
international effort to best the disease. He takes us back to the late
1950s and the discovery of L-dopa. He delves into a number of other
therapeutic approaches to this perplexing condition, from partial
lobotomies and deep brain stimulation to neural grafting. And he shares
inspiring stories of brave individuals living with Parkinson's, from a
former professional ballet dancer who tricks her body to move freely
again to a patient who cannot walk but astounds doctors when he is able
to ride a bicycle with no trouble at all.
With the baby boom generation beginning to retire and the population
steadily aging, 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, and deeply personal story of that
race, and a passionate, insightful, and urgent look into the lives of
those affected.
