A colored magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain of a 76-year-old patient with dementia shows the brain has atrophied and the dark brown fluid-filled spaces have become enlarged. Zephyr/Science Source hide caption
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease
Ford, now 33, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease three years ago. He and Cortney savor his relatively good health now. But the disease is degenerative, which means they'll likely need an individual health policy one day soon, and will eventually turn to Medicaid. Alex Smith/KCUR hide caption
A Young Man With Parkinson's Worries About The Costs Of A GOP Health Plan
Physical therapy may not help a person with a progressive chronic disease become well, but it can help slow a decline. Hero Images/Getty Images hide caption
This image is from lab-grown brain tissue — a minibrain — infected by Zika virus (white) with neural stem cells in red and neuronal nuclei in green. Courtesy of Xuyu Qian and Guo-li Ming hide caption
'Minibrains' Could Help Drug Discovery For Zika And For Alzheimer's
The routines that students learn at Dance for PD classes in Venice, Calif., can be quite challenging, instructors say. Courtesy of Joe Lambie and Laura Karlin hide caption
Alan Hoffman, shown with his wife, Nancy, at their home in Dumfries, Va., found that his Parkinson's symptoms improved when he took a cancer drug. Claire Harbage for NPR hide caption
Oliver Sacks was an author, physician and a professor of neurology at the New York University School of Medicine. Chris McGrath/Getty Images hide caption
Oliver Sacks: A Neurologist At The 'Intersection Of Fact And Fable'
In this colorized image of a brain cell from a person with Alzheimer's, the red tangle in the yellow cell body is a toxic tangle of misfolded "tau" proteins, adjacent to the cell's green nucleus. Thomas Deerinck/NCMIR/Science Source hide caption
The Allen Institute for Brain Science hosted its first BigNeuron Hackathon in Beijing earlier this month. Similar events are planned for the U.S. and U.K. Courtesy of Allen Institute for Brain Science hide caption
Hackers Teach Computers To Tell Healthy And Sick Brain Cells Apart
Participants in a boxing class designed specifically for people with Parkinson's disease at Fight 2 Fitness gym in Pawtucket, R.I. Joel Hawksley for NPR hide caption
Some Parkinson's drugs can trigger gambling problems that lead to bankruptcy. ImageZoo/Corbis hide caption
"Dance for PD" classes use music to temporarily ease tremors and get Parkinson's patients moving. Maggie Starbard/NPR hide caption
The Liftware device, shown here as an early prototype (left) and the final design, starts up automatically when it's lifted from the table. There's no "on" switch to fumble with. Ina Jaffe/NPR hide caption
Deep brain stimulation eased Shari Finsilver's tremors, but didn't stop them entirely. Here she uses both hands to stabilize a glass of water. Marvin Shaouni for NPR hide caption