Tuesday, 2 January 2018

New Challenges for a New Year.

I return rested and refreshed after a short break, and with renewed energy to chip away at the challenge before us: beating Parkinson’s disease.

Along with all the repeats and reviews on TV and newspapers, the medical literature often uses the Christmas editions to summarise and review the progress (or lack thereof) made in the previous 12 months, and to stir the spirits (metaphorical not literal) for a new year of discovery.

The Lancet Neurology is one of the leading journals in our field. This year UCL hog the limelight, with Professor John Hardy writing the review of neurodegeneration and Professor Andrew Lees writing “Advice for those trying to find a cure for the shaking palsy”.

Prof Lees challenges us to look beyond the obvious and be brave in our pursuits of new treatments. Paraphrasing William Burroughs he observes, “doctors are, by and large, drastically limited in their outlook”.

Perhaps the community of Parkinson’s researchers should adopt as our collective new year’s resolution to feed our imagination, widen our outlook, embrace humility and “regain the power to explore”.

Here’s to a year of breakthroughs!




RNR

1 comment:

  1. Over your break you might have missed this study. If you don't know about it I think it's worth your time ..
    https://www.mdedge.com/clinicalpsychiatrynews/article/154816/movement-disorders/corynebacterium-gut-can-trigger-parkinsons

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