Michael Okun
@michaelokun.bsky.social
NY Times Besting Author of the Parkinson’s Plan, Medical Advisor Parkinson Foundation, Author 15 books http://pdplan.org Distinguished Professor and Director of the Fixel, Associate Editor JAMA Neurology, co-founder @DBSThinkTank
Are Dolphins teaching us something important about environmental exposures and Alzheimer’s? A new paper that just dropped in Nature Communications Biology that dolphins living in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon showed AD signatures within their brain 'transcriptomes.' @alzassociation.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Are Dolphins teaching us something important about environmental exposures and Alzheimer’s? A new paper that just dropped in Nature Communications Biology that dolphins living in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon showed AD signatures within their brain 'transcriptomes.' @alzassociation.bsky.social
Will temporal interference step into the spotlight in 2026 for Parkinson’s and beyond? Temporal interference refers to using two high-frequency electrical currents to create a lower-frequency stimulation that can non-invasively reach deeper brain regions.
November 9, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Will temporal interference step into the spotlight in 2026 for Parkinson’s and beyond? Temporal interference refers to using two high-frequency electrical currents to create a lower-frequency stimulation that can non-invasively reach deeper brain regions.
Could dentate nucleus DBS be applied to treat spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA)? Zhao and colleagues describe in a new paper in Movement Disorders that dentate nucleus deep brain stimulation delivered meaningful improvement to folks living w/ spinocerebellar ataxia at 6 months of follow up.
November 8, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Could dentate nucleus DBS be applied to treat spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA)? Zhao and colleagues describe in a new paper in Movement Disorders that dentate nucleus deep brain stimulation delivered meaningful improvement to folks living w/ spinocerebellar ataxia at 6 months of follow up.
We desperately need new research tools to move the ball forward in Parkinson's. How about seeing dopamine in a new light? Enter 'far-red sensors' that unlock multiplex brain signals. Could a far-red dopamine sensor open the door to simultaneously watching multiple brain chemicals 'in action.'
November 7, 2025 at 12:53 PM
We desperately need new research tools to move the ball forward in Parkinson's. How about seeing dopamine in a new light? Enter 'far-red sensors' that unlock multiplex brain signals. Could a far-red dopamine sensor open the door to simultaneously watching multiple brain chemicals 'in action.'
Can you level up your movement in Parkinson's by playing video games 'remotely?' Gamification refers to using game-like elements to motivate real-world behavior change, such as increasing your daily steps. Remote and automated gamification program helped veterans increase their daily steps.
November 6, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Can you level up your movement in Parkinson's by playing video games 'remotely?' Gamification refers to using game-like elements to motivate real-world behavior change, such as increasing your daily steps. Remote and automated gamification program helped veterans increase their daily steps.
Are we inching closer to actually seeing alpha-synuclein in living brains? In a new paper, Weiss and colleagues describe a method called Advanced Sensing of Aggregates in Parkinson’s Disease that may enable direct visualization of nanoscale alpha-synuclein assemblies in human brain tissue.
November 5, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Are we inching closer to actually seeing alpha-synuclein in living brains? In a new paper, Weiss and colleagues describe a method called Advanced Sensing of Aggregates in Parkinson’s Disease that may enable direct visualization of nanoscale alpha-synuclein assemblies in human brain tissue.
A miracle pill for Parkinson's is 50 years old. Why can't most of the world get it? Ray and I wrote a new Op-Ed on www.pdplan.org
Subscribe to our new substack column here:
cutt.ly/2r6Rc1AT
Link to statnews.com Op-Ed out that dropped this morning:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/p...
Subscribe to our new substack column here:
cutt.ly/2r6Rc1AT
Link to statnews.com Op-Ed out that dropped this morning:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/p...
November 4, 2025 at 2:15 PM
A miracle pill for Parkinson's is 50 years old. Why can't most of the world get it? Ray and I wrote a new Op-Ed on www.pdplan.org
Subscribe to our new substack column here:
cutt.ly/2r6Rc1AT
Link to statnews.com Op-Ed out that dropped this morning:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/p...
Subscribe to our new substack column here:
cutt.ly/2r6Rc1AT
Link to statnews.com Op-Ed out that dropped this morning:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/p...
Could turning difficulty when walking today signal Parkinson’s tomorrow? A new paper in Annals of Neurology: subtle changes in how folks turn (looking at angular velocity with a sensor) when they walk, may predict a future diagnosis of Parkinson’s, possibly years before symptoms become obvious.
November 4, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Could turning difficulty when walking today signal Parkinson’s tomorrow? A new paper in Annals of Neurology: subtle changes in how folks turn (looking at angular velocity with a sensor) when they walk, may predict a future diagnosis of Parkinson’s, possibly years before symptoms become obvious.
Iron is not a 'villain' just rusting the brain, it may be trying to heal it. Check out this 2025 update on brain iron in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and beyond. Their work reframes iron not just as a villain, but also as an essential player in brain health whose imbalance can be damaging.
November 3, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Iron is not a 'villain' just rusting the brain, it may be trying to heal it. Check out this 2025 update on brain iron in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and beyond. Their work reframes iron not just as a villain, but also as an essential player in brain health whose imbalance can be damaging.
Is asleep deep brain stimulation (DBS) safe? Gabriel El-Hajj and colleagues describe in a new paper in Brain and Spine that asleep deep brain stimulation performed under general anesthesia may be just as safe as traditional awake DBS.
November 2, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Is asleep deep brain stimulation (DBS) safe? Gabriel El-Hajj and colleagues describe in a new paper in Brain and Spine that asleep deep brain stimulation performed under general anesthesia may be just as safe as traditional awake DBS.
Have you thought about how advertising to health care professionals shapes your Parkinson’s care? Spoiler alert: Marketing meets medicine all the time. Non-propositional content refers to advertising images/messages that cannot be judged as true or false, yet influence your emotions and decisions.
November 1, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Have you thought about how advertising to health care professionals shapes your Parkinson’s care? Spoiler alert: Marketing meets medicine all the time. Non-propositional content refers to advertising images/messages that cannot be judged as true or false, yet influence your emotions and decisions.
The Wall Street Journal just ran a piece featuring my co-author Ray Dorsey. Here are a couple of powerful quotes from the story by Sumathi Reddy.
- "Minimize exposure to dry-cleaning chemicals."
- “Do whatever you can to improve indoor air quality.”
- "Drink clean water."
- "Minimize exposure to dry-cleaning chemicals."
- “Do whatever you can to improve indoor air quality.”
- "Drink clean water."
October 31, 2025 at 2:59 PM
The Wall Street Journal just ran a piece featuring my co-author Ray Dorsey. Here are a couple of powerful quotes from the story by Sumathi Reddy.
- "Minimize exposure to dry-cleaning chemicals."
- “Do whatever you can to improve indoor air quality.”
- "Drink clean water."
- "Minimize exposure to dry-cleaning chemicals."
- “Do whatever you can to improve indoor air quality.”
- "Drink clean water."
Do you know what the brain 'looks like' when you have both essential tremor and dementia? Spoiler alert: Think Alzheimer's changes. New paper in Neurology that when folks w/ essential tremor develop dementia, their brains at autopsy frequently show Alzheimer-type changes.
October 31, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Do you know what the brain 'looks like' when you have both essential tremor and dementia? Spoiler alert: Think Alzheimer's changes. New paper in Neurology that when folks w/ essential tremor develop dementia, their brains at autopsy frequently show Alzheimer-type changes.
When Parkinson’s enters a relationship have you thought about how Couples cope, connect and sometimes drift apart? This effort was a qualitative study, which means it was based on in-depth interviews or observations rather than numbers or statistics.
October 30, 2025 at 11:26 AM
When Parkinson’s enters a relationship have you thought about how Couples cope, connect and sometimes drift apart? This effort was a qualitative study, which means it was based on in-depth interviews or observations rather than numbers or statistics.
A technological approach to treat macular degeneration? New amazing study just dropped in NEJM. Subretinal photovoltaic implants are an emerging path for vision restoration in age-related macular degeneration. Too many people in my practice w/ well controlled PD are also fighting this malady.
October 29, 2025 at 1:01 PM
A technological approach to treat macular degeneration? New amazing study just dropped in NEJM. Subretinal photovoltaic implants are an emerging path for vision restoration in age-related macular degeneration. Too many people in my practice w/ well controlled PD are also fighting this malady.
GBA1 mutations and DBS: Folks, there’s more to the story. Avenali and colleagues describe in a new paper folks carrying GBA1 variants can still benefit from DBS w/o an additional cognitive penalty. They followed >600 individuals across 14 centers to explore how genetics intersected w/ long-term DBS.
October 28, 2025 at 12:24 PM
GBA1 mutations and DBS: Folks, there’s more to the story. Avenali and colleagues describe in a new paper folks carrying GBA1 variants can still benefit from DBS w/o an additional cognitive penalty. They followed >600 individuals across 14 centers to explore how genetics intersected w/ long-term DBS.
Do we need a plan to end the Parkinson Pandemic? Spoiler alert: We were all worried by estimates of Parkinson revealing 12 million cases by 2035, however we are already at 12 million cases today.
October 27, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Do we need a plan to end the Parkinson Pandemic? Spoiler alert: We were all worried by estimates of Parkinson revealing 12 million cases by 2035, however we are already at 12 million cases today.
Can probiotics calm the gut and the brain in Parkinson’s? Results of a randomized study on a four-strain probiotic just dropped. Spoiler alert: Maybe. A four-strain probiotic affected the gut bacteria, inflammation and symptoms in Parkinson’s: An international randomized clinical trial.
October 26, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Can probiotics calm the gut and the brain in Parkinson’s? Results of a randomized study on a four-strain probiotic just dropped. Spoiler alert: Maybe. A four-strain probiotic affected the gut bacteria, inflammation and symptoms in Parkinson’s: An international randomized clinical trial.
UK Parkinson's incidence update: are cleaner environments leveling the curve or are diagnoses shifting? Spoiler alert: It is probably both. Gandhi and colleagues describe in a new paper tracking PD and seven other 'parkinsonisms' across incidence, prevalence, survival and demographics.
October 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM
UK Parkinson's incidence update: are cleaner environments leveling the curve or are diagnoses shifting? Spoiler alert: It is probably both. Gandhi and colleagues describe in a new paper tracking PD and seven other 'parkinsonisms' across incidence, prevalence, survival and demographics.
Can we build a Parkinson’s lifestyle plan to 'change the game'? A paper that just dropped in The Lancet Neurology how lifestyle interventions, especially physical activity, nutrition and stress management are quickly emerging as both symptom relieving and possibly disease modifying for Parkinson.
October 24, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Can we build a Parkinson’s lifestyle plan to 'change the game'? A paper that just dropped in The Lancet Neurology how lifestyle interventions, especially physical activity, nutrition and stress management are quickly emerging as both symptom relieving and possibly disease modifying for Parkinson.
Should we have a holistic wellness prescription for Parkinson’s? A committee from the Movement Disorders Society says YES in a new blueprint for living well. The word holistic: approach that considers the whole person: mind, body and social environment, rather than just individual symptoms.
October 23, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Should we have a holistic wellness prescription for Parkinson’s? A committee from the Movement Disorders Society says YES in a new blueprint for living well. The word holistic: approach that considers the whole person: mind, body and social environment, rather than just individual symptoms.
Nice piece today in the Washington Post by Jennifer Hassan who explores the power of sharing images of people w/ diseases like Parkinson's and also the power of using images of modern therapies. The example she wrote about was a woman playing the clarinet during awake DBS.
wapo.st/4nBWZUB
wapo.st/4nBWZUB
October 22, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Nice piece today in the Washington Post by Jennifer Hassan who explores the power of sharing images of people w/ diseases like Parkinson's and also the power of using images of modern therapies. The example she wrote about was a woman playing the clarinet during awake DBS.
wapo.st/4nBWZUB
wapo.st/4nBWZUB
Do you know what a ‘deceptive placebo’ is and how it might shape neurological care? A placebo is an inactive treatment that can improve symptoms through psychological and neurobiological mechanisms like expectation and conditioning.
October 22, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Do you know what a ‘deceptive placebo’ is and how it might shape neurological care? A placebo is an inactive treatment that can improve symptoms through psychological and neurobiological mechanisms like expectation and conditioning.
Four surprising things that may reduce your risk of Parkinson’s: A new article just dropped in Washington Post. Risk refers to likelihood that someone will develop a disease or condition based on genetic, environmental or lifestyle. This article explored how everyday choices could be important.
October 21, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Four surprising things that may reduce your risk of Parkinson’s: A new article just dropped in Washington Post. Risk refers to likelihood that someone will develop a disease or condition based on genetic, environmental or lifestyle. This article explored how everyday choices could be important.
Are we ready to bring closed-loop neuromodulation into psychiatric disorders? Closed-loop neuromodulation refers to brain stimulation that automatically adjusts its output based on real-time feedback allowing therapy to be personalized to the brain’s state, rather than applying fixed stimulation.
October 20, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Are we ready to bring closed-loop neuromodulation into psychiatric disorders? Closed-loop neuromodulation refers to brain stimulation that automatically adjusts its output based on real-time feedback allowing therapy to be personalized to the brain’s state, rather than applying fixed stimulation.