TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sep 4, 2013) - On September 7th and 8th, over 14,000 volunteers and participants in 100 communities across the country will be taking part in Parkinson Society Canada's 23rd annual Parkinson SuperWalk. Each year, the event raises awareness and money to support valuable education, resources and support services for people living with Parkinson's and their families, as well as research, such as that currently underway with Oury Monchi, Ph.D. and his team in Montreal.
"Our research has found that mild cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease can be challenging because it affects cognitive functions in addition to motor skills. In particular, these patients are more likely to develop dementia," says Dr. Oury Monchi, Associate Director for Clinical Research at the Montreal Geriatrics Institute Research Centre at the University of Montreal and director of the newly created Quebec Parkinson Network. "By understanding how cognitive decline can affect people with Parkinson's disease, we can design targeted clinical treatments to help patients."
Dr. Monchi and his team have recently published results on their study exploring mild cognitive impairment in people with Parkinson's disease. The team uses imaging technology and cognitive tests to find markers in the brain that can help determine how and why some people with Parkinson's disease may develop dementia. Knowing that people with Parkinson's disease are six times more likely to develop dementia than someone in the general public, this research helps predict the development of dementia in patients and explores how specific intervention in the form of medication or other treatments such as cognitive training or transcranial magnetic stimulation, may help to slow cognitive deterioration.
Dr. Monchi is just one of many researchers across the country working to understand this complex disease thanks to support from Parkinson SuperWalk. Since Parkinson Society Canada's national research program began in 1981, it has funded over 400 awards, fellowships and grants to improve understanding of the disease, find new treatments, develop potential therapies, and ultimately find a cure.
About Parkinson SuperWalk
On September 7th - 8th, 14,000 volunteers and participants in 100 communities across Canada will walk together with a goal to raise $3.3 million nation-wide. Parkinson SuperWalk is Parkinson Society Canada's largest fundraising event and since its inaugural walk in 1990 led by a small group of committed volunteers, the nation-wide event has raised more than $25 million for education, support services, research, and advocacy on behalf of Canadians living with Parkinson's. Register online at www.parkinsonsuperwalk.ca.