• Chronic pain affects 60-80% of patients with ParkinsonÕs Disease (PD). While the underlying cause is not known, some have suggested that it may be due to mobility problems including rigidity, reduced joint movements and poor posture. As a result, treatment options are limited and it is considered one of the most disabling symptoms of the illness.
  • We have recently identified a number of genes to be strongly associated with pain in PD and biological pathway analysis has revealed specific inflammatory pathways that are likely to play a central role. Depression is the most common psychological disorder in ParkinsonÕs and a recent longitudinal study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between pain and depression in PD. It is therefore encouraging that we indeed see that pain is highly correlated with depression.
  • This PhD will further investigate these findings by establishing the links between pain, depression and the immune system in PD.