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.
