5 May 2023

New tool to help understand and treat Parkinson's

From Afternoons, 1:15 pm on 5 May 2023

About 10 million people around the world suffer from  Parkinson's disease, about 12,000 of them here in New Zealand.

But earlier this week we heard some good news.

Researchers have discovered a new tool that could impact the understanding and treatment of Parkinson's.

The advancement means people with the disease should expect to see faster care and improved treatments, while those diagnosed moving forward may be able to avoid full-blown symptoms.

Dr Victor Dieriks, a primary researcher in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland talks to Jesse.

This is a high resolution, anatomical magnetic resonance image of the brain, which gives researchers exquisite detail about the structure of the brain, including the amount of grey matter tissue, white matter tissue, and cerebral spinal fluid.

This is a high resolution, anatomical magnetic resonance image of the brain, which gives researchers exquisite detail about the structure of the brain, including the amount of grey matter tissue, white matter tissue, and cerebral spinal fluid. Photo: Supplied