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The two-century journey of Parkinson disease research

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 18, pages 251–259 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Since the first formal description of Parkinson disease (PD) two centuries ago, our understanding of this common neurodegenerative disorder has expanded at all levels of description, from the delineation of its clinical phenotype to the identification of its neuropathological features, neurochemical processes and genetic factors. Along the way, findings have led to novel hypotheses about how the disease develops and progresses, challenging our understanding of how neurodegenerative disorders wreak havoc on human health. In this Timeline article, I recount the fascinating 200-year journey of PD research.

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Figure 1: The 200 years of Parkinson disease research.
Figure 2: Direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia motor circuits in health and parkinsonism.
Figure 3: Potential pathogenic mechanisms involved in Parkinson disease.

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Acknowledgements

The author is supported by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH)/NIDS awards NS099862 and NS072428, DOD Award 13-1-0416 and from Target-ALS and the Project-ALS.

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  1. Departments of Neurology, Pathology, and Cell Biology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, 10032, New York, USA

    Serge Przedborski

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Correspondence to Serge Przedborski.

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Przedborski, S. The two-century journey of Parkinson disease research. Nat Rev Neurosci 18, 251–259 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2017.25

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