Neurological Disorders

A Mediaplanet Guide to Living With and Caring for Those With Brain Disorders

Neurological Disorders

Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen The celebrity couple talk about fighting Alzheimer’s with awareness and laughter Pro golfer Kenzie O’Connell opens up about managing her epilepsy

SEPTEMBER 2021 | FUTUREOFPERSONALHEALTH.COM

Why journalist Meryl Comer wants healthy people to help with Alzheimer’s research

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The Philosophy That’s Inspiring Innovation in Brain Disease Research The brain is the most complex structure in the known universe, but while it has distinct parts with unique functions, they are all interconnected — and so are the different diseases that affect it.

M

y colleagues and I at the American Brain Foundation believe in a philosophy of “Cure One, Cure Many” because we know that when we find a cure for one brain disease, it will lead to cures for many. Why? Because the pathological mechanisms that lead to one disease are similar for others, and uncov@MEDIAPLANETUSA

ering these mechanisms will lead to better prevention, treatments, and cures for all brain diseases.

If we can significantly increase our investment in research into these diseases, we believe it will one day lead to life without brain disease.

Focusing on the whole brain Since all brain diseases and disorders interconnect, what @FUTUREOFPERSONALHEALTH

David Dodick, M.D. FAAN, Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Chair, American Brain Foundation

we learn from one research project can advance the understanding, prevention, and treatment of other diseases.

A great example of this is the link between neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Lewy body dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

While they are all distinct diseases with unique symptoms and disease courses, what causes one may be similar to what causes another.

We’ve learned that funding research across disease categories, rather than for single

diseases, can lead to greater innovation and advances in treatment.

By studying the whole brain and investing in research across the full spectrum of brain disease, we are paving the way to better prevention, treatment, and cures for all brain diseases. Learn more about our mission and the research we fund at AmericanBrainFoundation.org. n

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Publisher Nellie Dubin Business Developer Gretchen Pancak Managing Director Luciana Olson Lead Designer Tif fany Pryor Designer Celia Hazard Lead Editor Mina Fanous Copy Editor Dustin Brennan Director of Content and Production Jordan Hernandez Cover Photo HFC All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise specified. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.

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Why It’s Critical to Find Better Migraine Treatments and Cures Pathetic, drug-seeker, drama queen — these are just a few of the names Melissa Dwyer was called while desperately seeking relief for migraine; the invisible disease that stole her life.

Dwyer’s family had dealt with migraine for generations, but she had the most severe forms of the disease, meaning she never experienced a day without pain and debilitating symptoms, including vomiting, numbness, and paralysis.

Before being plagued by migraine, Dwyer could light up a room with her smile and her laugh. She was popular and excelled in school. In high school, a neurologist worked with her for two years before referring her to the Mayo Clinic. There, after a week of testing and numerous doctors, Melissa was told to do their six-week outpatient pain clinic to learn to live with the pain as they had no new suggestions.

Just 20 minutes after arriving home from the Mayo Clinic, Dwyer’s mother, Becky, found Melissa

taking handfuls of pills. She had to be put on a ventilator for six days. In the previous year, she had 82 emergency room visits and spent 72 days in the hospital trying to break her migraine attacks.

I want to see effective treatments and a cure in my lifetime.

Treatments needed After reading her chart and all the treatments she had tried, four more doctors told her they couldn’t take her case because she was “too complicated.” She

lost her smile and once bubbly personality, and shut herself away from the world.

On June 7, 2013, Dwyer committed suicide; the lack of effective treatment and the isolation made her lose all hope of ever living a normal, pain-free life.

“I want to see effective treatments and a cure in my lifetime,” Becky Dwyer said. “We have lost so many in the migraine community and others are still hanging on by a thread.”

Despite the new medications available, millions of people are still living with this debilitating disease. For some, even new medications aren’t effective, while others can be difficult for doctors and insurance companies to access.

The more we advocate for research and new treatments, the better chance people have to get their lives back. n Melissa Calise, Director of Communications, Association of Migraine Disorders

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF KENZIE O’CONNELL

Golfer Kenzie O’Connell Talks About Staying Positive After Epilepsy Diagnosis Golf pro Kenzie O’Connell isn’t letting epilepsy get in the way of her love of the game.

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’Connell, who’s been golfing since she was 5 years old, never had any symptoms of a health problem. When she was 21 and working at an oral surgeon’s office, she passed out. Soon she was passing out three times a week, then five times a week, and then as many as seven times a day.

But in all those instances, she wasn’t actually passing out. After medical tests, doctors diagnosed O’Connell with epilepsy — a condition she shares with 3.4 million Americans. She has vestibular seizures, which are associated with dizziness and vertigo.

“I didn’t know anything about epilepsy or seizures or anything like that, except for what I saw in the movies, like people falling down, shaking, that kind of thing, which is not really realistic,” she said, noting the condition is misunderstood and that everyone has a different experience with it.

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Struggle At the time of her diagnosis, O’Connell was living in Georgia. She temporarily moved home to be with family in Nebraska.

She felt like she lost her independence. She hasn’t driven in three years for fear she’ll have a seizure behind the wheel. After she has a seizure, she cries, feels disoriented, and gets cold and tired.

“People who do have epilepsy know it is a very hard thing,” she said. “Your independence is definitely one of the things that I feel like we struggle with all the time. I think it’s one of those things that we have to kind of sit back and go, ‘OK, this is something we’re going to have to deal with for the rest of our life.’”

Now O’Connell and her husband live in Colorado. That’s where she started as an assistant golf pro. It was an adjustment at first because, at the time, her epilepsy was unpredictable and hard to manage.

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“You can be out on the golf course doing great and then all of a sudden, you have to have somebody drive you in because you can’t operate the golf cart or walk, or hit a golf ball,” she said.

It took three years to adjust her medication and she’s happy she doesn’t have many side effects. Currently, her epilepsy is controlled and she doesn’t have seizures often.

Therapeutic O’Connell, who recently signed with Callaway Golf, competed on Golf Channel’s show “ShotMakers” and co-hosted “Topgolf Tour.” She also works as an ambassador for the Epilepsy Foundation of America and the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado.

She’s a social media influencer, too, with over 152,000 followers on Instagram. She’s sharing her story to help other people with epilepsy know they’re not alone.

“On my social media platforms, I’ve been sharing a little bit and I’ve

gotten such great feedback from not only people with epilepsy, but people who struggle with other conditions as well,” O’Connell said.

She says talking about her epilepsy is therapeutic.

“If you talk about it, you get it off your chest, you’re going to feel so much better,” she said. “And I think that’s really helped a lot of people, which is awesome.”

Positivity O’Connell’s routine includes taking her medication at night, getting quality sleep, and avoiding triggers like waiting too long to eat, or being around bright lights and mirrors. She keeps a positive attitude, too.

“Positive thinking goes a really long way, and I think that’s what really got me through some of the hardest times was just being positive and telling myself that it’s going to be okay and things are going to get better,” she said . n Kristen Castillo

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Over 125,000 patients, including over 35,000 children, have been treated with VNS Therapy worldwide. VNS Therapy is recommended by guidelines as an add-on therapy in reducing seizure frequency in children and adults with DRE who are not suitable for resective surgery.

Common side effects include hoarseness or change in voice tone, shortness of breath, sore throat, and coughing.

These side effects generally only occur during stimulation and usually decrease over time. Implant site infection is the most common side effect of the procedure and can often be resolved with medication.

As a preschooler, Bennett Caroon experienced 100 seizures a day.

Doctors gave him a variety of antiseizure medications, but nothing controlled his seizures until he tried VNS Therapy, a unique, implantable device that delivers mild pulses of stimulation through the vagus nerve to areas of the brain known to be associated with seizures.

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ennett has drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) — a diagnosis given to patients after two anti-seizure medications fail to control seizures when used for an adequate period of time as determined by a patient’s physician. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, about one-third of adults with epilepsy and 20-25 percent of kids with epilepsy have DRE. Bennett had his first seizure at 18 months old. At first, doctors thought it was a fluke. But he continued to have more seizures and of greater severity.

“When the seizures started happening, just one after another, I felt like I was trying to hold up a giant stack of dominoes that was just falling down on us,” says his mother, Lindsey Caroon.

After a seizure, Bennett felt groggy and emotional. His intense seizures interfered with his development, too.

For example, he regressed on speech, including losing some of his pronouns.

He also lost his potty training.

Feeling helpless “The worst thing about seizures is that you feel helpless,” says his mother.

“There’s nothing you can do.”

After trying eight anti-seizure medications without success, Bennett’s family sought treatment at a medical center in Washington D.C., where he had to be resuscitated after treatment failed to stop the seizures.

Caroon was frustrated and tired of feeling helpless, so she asked doctors what else could be done to help her

PHOTO: COURTESY LINDSEY CAROON

One Child’s Experience With DrugResistant Epilepsy

son. That’s when the family first heard about VNS Therapy.

VNS Therapy® VNS Therapy (short for “vagus nerve stimulation therapy”) has been FDA approved since 1997. The medical device works by delivering mild pulses of stimulation through the vagus nerve to areas of the brain known to be associated with seizures. It’s placed under the skin of the chest and connects to the vagus nerve in a simple, outpatient procedure that takes less than two hours.

VNS Therapy can lead to fewer seizures, shorter seizures, and better recovery after seizures. Studies show quality-of-life benefits too, including improved mood, alertness, memory, and verbal skills.

Significant control While individual results may vary, VNS Therapy can help patients like Bennett manage seizures and thrive.

Bennett received VNS Therapy when he was four years old. He is 10 now and living a very normal life with his family in Colorado Springs. He loves maps and space and wants to go to space camp someday. He plays video games, as well as soccer and lacrosse. He takes one medication and compares his VNS Therapy to Iron Man’s chest piece.

“We’ve had such significant control with VNS Therapy that we went over a year without a seizure, which is just astounding to us and really amazing,” says Caroon.

When a patient has DRE, they should be seen by an epilepsy specialist who can help them get control of their seizures.

When treating patients with DRE, doctors can implement diet changes such as the ketogenic diet and try non-medication treatments, like VNS Therapy. n Kristen Castillo

Find out more about VNS Therapy at www.VNSTherapy.com.

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Alzheimer’s isn’t a disease that only affects old people.

People in their 40s and 50s can also develop the most common form of dementia, which causes symptoms of memory loss and confusion.

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hen Seth R o g e n’ s motherin-law was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, that truth became clear to the comedian and actor. The news led him and his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, to form the nonprofit HFC (formerly Hilarity for Charity) in 2012. HFC advocates for awareness and education on Alzheimer’s disease, and aims to inspire future champions of these causes.

Getting involved Miller Rogen was somewhat familiar with Alzheimer’s disease because her grandparents had dementia. But she realized there was so much she didn’t know when she dove into the research following her mother’s diagnosis.

“At first, when my mom was diagnosed, it was education by

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fire,” said Miller Rogen, who was 20 at the time. “No one plans to become a caregiver. So we learned what we could, as quickly as we could, in order to provide the best care for my mom. But it was really hard.”

Back then, there was more stigma and less information about dementia than there is today.

“To manage dementia wasn’t a new problem to have, but it felt like it was because no one ever talked about it,” Miller Rogen said. “We also realized that young people, in particular, were really lacking in education about Alzheimer’s because it was, you know, ‘an old person’s disease.’ But the science tells us that’s wrong, and that Alzheimer’s actually begins in the brain up to 20-30 years before the onset of symptoms.”

Rogen explained, “That fact really motivated us to start educating ourselves and people

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PHOTO: HFC

How the Rogens are Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease With Laughter our age (we were young then!) about Alzheimer’s prevention and brain health.”

Promoting healthy habits A lot of people also don’t understand that just because you have a first-degree relative with Alzheimer’s, that doesn’t guarantee you will develop it as well.

“Some forms of Alzheimer’s and dementia are hereditary, but not all,” Miller Rogen said.

“So it’s super important for everyone — especially young people — to care for their brains in the same way we care for our hearts, and it’s definitely a practice.”

While they aren’t “brain health perfectionists,” Miller Rogen explained, the couple tries to eat a healthy diet, exercise, track their sleep, and seek out stress-reducing creative activities, such as pottery. “And on Saturdays, we eat ice cream for happiness,” Miller Rogen added.

They also make time for laughter.

“Seriously, humor is good for your brain — and we don’t just say that because we’re comedians,” Rogen said. “There’s mounting data to support that laughter may strengthen your immune system, relieve pain, and boost your mood — all important things toward adopting those brain-health habits.”

Rogen added that making healthy lifestyle choices like those may prevent 4 in 10 cases of Alzheimer’s disease. He recommended checking out HFC’s 5 Brain Health Habits to begin or improve a brain-healthy diet and lifestyle.

Inspiring fellow caregivers Ultimately, education is a crucial step in protecting one’s own health, as well as a loved one who is living with Alzheimer’s. Part of this mission

means starting a conversation with healthcare professionals.

Humility and preparation are key, said Miller Rogen, who emphasized preparing a list of researched questions to ask your loved one’s doctor. Get second or third opinions as needed, Rogen said, especially if the doctor isn’t educated about Alzheimer’s.

“Also, doctors aren’t the only people you can bring your questions to,” Miller Rogen said. “Ask your family, friends, and other caregivers. HFC has virtual support groups that aim to pair people together who are in similar situations, and it can be so helpful to connect with someone who can empathize with your experiences and offer advice or direction. The more we all talk about this disease, the better chance we have of ending it.” n Melinda Carter

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disease. While Eisai’s phase III Clarity AD Study focuses on participants with early Alzheimer’s disease.

The Turning Point for Alzheimer’s Disease For years, treatment of Alzheimer’s disease focused on symptoms.

New research targets the pathophysiological changes underneath — with potentially promising results.

lzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the greatest healthcare crises in our world today. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 50 million people living with dementia today — and that number is predicted to increase to more than 80 million by 2030.

The good news is that promising investigational treatments are being researched. “In the past three decades, the scientific and medical community have made significant progress in understanding the biological mechanisms of the disease,” says Harald Hampel, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer and vice president at Eisai Inc. Dr. Hampel was recently named one of

the top five global experts in Alzheimer’s disease.

That progress has changed our understanding of the disease from a symptom-based definition to one focused on changes in the brain that begin years before symptoms.

The cutting edge That shift in focus is key.

“Because current treatments target symptoms experienced in the late stages of dementia, Eisai has focused research on patients who are in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Hampel notes.

The key is the science of biomarkers, which measure physiological changes that occur when disease is present. These biomarkers are often detectable long before patients show symptoms. “Currently, there are

well-validated neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Hampel. The development of blood-based biomarkers has the potential to support largescale screening for Alzheimer’s disease brain changes with a minimally invasive, widely accessible, easy-to-use and cost-effective test. This in turn would enable people to seek diagnosis and potential treatments long before they experience symptoms.

Breakthroughs Biomarker research has led to what’s known as the AT(N) system, a classification scheme that categorizes individuals according to the presence of specific pathophysiological features of the disease.

These are the Amyloid-β pathway (A), the aggregated

tau or associated pathophysiology (T) and neuronal injury and neurodegeneration (N).

These pathways (A, T and N) represent the core changes in the brain caused by Alzheimer’s disease that can be targeted by developing disease-modifying treatments.

This new understanding of the disease has led to the development of new ways to fight it. Eisai Inc. is conducting multiple clinical trials in pre-clinical, early and intermediate Alzheimer’s disease. Eisai and the National Institutes of Health-funded Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium have partnered on the phase III AHEAD 3-45 Study, which is testing an investigational treatment to see if it slows down the earliest changes that occur in the brain with Alzheimer’s

Patient-centric The fight against Alzheimer’s disease is everyone’s fight. That fight requires people — scientists, clinicians, patients and caregivers. Clinical trials involving them have been crucial to understanding Alzheimer’s disease — and they remain crucial for future breakthroughs.

“Clinical trials are important to show the efficacy and safety of potential new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease,” says Michael Irizarry, M.D., Master of Public Health and vice president of clinical research at Eisai Inc. “The trials can identify the individuals most likely to respond to treatments and how treatments impact disease progression, clinical symptoms, daily function, behavioral symptoms and quality of life.”

Patients, caregivers and family members can ask their physician about Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials or look to internet resources like the www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Dr. Hampel is optimistic about the future of Alzheimer’s disease treatments.

“We are very excited about the research we are conducting,” he says, “our ultimate goal is a world without Alzheimer’s disease.” n Jeff Somers

Sponsored by Eisai To learn more about Eisai’s work in fighting Alzheimer’s, visit us.eisai.com/

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Inside Emmy AwardWinning Journalist Meryl Comer’s Stand Against Alzheimer’s

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ELI LILLY

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wo decades ago, Meryl Comer was a broadcast journalist at the top of her game, and her husband, Dr. Harvey Gralnick, was the chief of hematology/ oncology for the National Institutes of Health.

Things changed when, at 58, Gralnick was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Comer saw no choice but to leave her career to care for him and eventually her mother, who was later diagnosed with the disease.

“It was the only option available for me to manage a highly charged and challenging situation,” said Comer, a co-founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s, and former president and CEO of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative.

Over the past 24 years, Comer has become a leading advocate for those with Alzheimer’s and the loved ones caring for them. In 2015, she chronicled her experiences as a wake-up call on what it’s like to live inside the disease in the New York Times Bestseller “Slow Dancing With a Stranger: Lost and Found in the Age of Alzheimer’s,” and she’s donated all of the book’s proceeds to Alzheimer’s research.

“We can’t ignore the fact that women are differently and differentially impacted by dementia as two-thirds of the victims and two-thirds of the caregivers,” Comer said. “My generation is focused on redefining what aging looks like when we should all be hell bent on doing what it takes to improve the odds that our brainspan matches our lifespan.”

For over 20 years, acclaimed broadcast journalist Meryl Comer has cared for her husband and mother who both have Alzheimer’s disease. As an advocate for people with dementia and their caregivers, she’s trying to get more people who, like herself, do not yet have cognitive impairment to participate in clinical trials.

Comer is aiding Alzheimer’s research in a major way. While she doesn’t have Alzheimer’s disease, she’s prepared to participate in clinical trials, and is encouraging other healthy and cognitively unimpaired people to do the same.

Studying Alzheimer’s About 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, though recent estimates suggest it may actually rank third, behind only heart disease and cancer, according to the National Institute on Aging. Scientists are also exploring the very earliest

steps in the disease process by studying changes in the brain and body fluids that can be detected years before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear.

That means clinical trials are critical, and not just for people who already have Alzheimer’s and are looking to try experimental treatments, but also for people who are at-risk, cognitively normal, and/or asymptomatic, as their participation can pave the way to prevention and treatment.

Unfortunately, participation in Alzheimer’s clinical trials is lagging behind, especially for healthy and asymptomatic people. Comer is driven to help the 90 percent

of adults — according to a new UsA2 A-List survey of the wider Alzheimer’s and dementia community — who believe in early diagnosis to participate in clinical trials.

“It’s time to get with it,” Comer said. “In addition to improving our own odds of reducing cognitive decline, we can help advance what science knows so there are future therapies available for our adult children and grandchildren. It’s a mindful legacy we owe the next generation.”

Decentralized trials Over the course of the COVID19 pandemic, telemedicine became a mainstay for health-

care delivery, and clinical trials are now adopting these same technologies.

Telehealth technology will allow trials to be decentralized, meaning geography will no longer be a barrier to participation. Participants in decentralized Alzheimer’s trials will be able to take cognitive tests and check in with their study team without having to leave their homes, and visits to clinical trial sites will be minimized.

The hope is these decentralized studies will increase access to and participation in clinical trials, especially for cognitively unimpaired people and traditionally underrepresented populations.

“Decentralized studies for Alzheimer’s disease mean that minorities can access these opportunities at their comfort level, in their first language, within their own communities and with trusted healthcare providers,” said Dr. Sheila Baez-Torres, M.D., M.B.A., the principal investigator for K2 Medical Research, LLC in Orlando, Florida. “I firmly believe decentralizing studies for AD will not only increase their participation, but it can benefit all of us by ensuring equity in research and improving and advancing our health knowledge overall.” n Dustin Brennan

If you’re interested in joining a decentralized Alzheimer’s trial for asymptomatic individuals, or would like to learn more, visit lillymemorytrials.com or call 1-800-LillyRx (545-5979).

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Telehealth Helps People Access the Care They Need For people with movement disorders, the inability to access care they need, when they need it, can hinder their health.

Traditionally, people with movement disorders, like Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor, have trouble accessing the care they need, either because of lack of specialists in their area or symptoms that make travel difficult.

They often travel long distances to access specialists offering therapies like neuromodulation – which controls symptoms by modulating electrical signals in specific parts of the brain.

Ultimately, they may delay or settle for less-effective care, which can mean the difference between engaging in life and sitting on the sidelines.

Abbott’s NeuroSphere™ Virtual Clinic – launched earlier this year – transforms neuromodulation care by allowing remote visits and changes to therapy. For people who don’t live close to a provider or have difficulty accessing care because of circumstances like caregiver flexibility or the global pandemic, Virtual Clinic has the potential to increase access to optimal care and therapy management.

These tools can help break down barriers to care. More than that, they are setting a new standard for digital health to further improve outcomes and quality of life.

Binith Cheeran, M.D., Ph.D, Medical and Clinical Affairs, Neurological Therapies, Abbott Learn more at: https://NeuroSphere.Abbott Important Safety Information: https://www.neuromodulation.abbott/ us/en/important-safety-info.html

How Technology Can Help People With Parkinson’s Live Life to the Fullest Advancements in technology have made our lives better and easier in so many ways. Just think about GPS, online shopping, and the fact that we can make phone calls, send emails, search the internet, and take amazing photos all from a device that fits in our pocket.

Did you know that technology can also help people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) live better every day?

Here are three ways technology can make a real difference for the PD community: 1. Telemedicine Telemedicine refers to any type of electronic communication that provides healthcare without an in-person visit. It has been around for years but experienced a surge of popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic when people needed medical care but could not safely visit doctors’ offices.

Because the typical office exam for someone with PD is primarily audial and visual (a movement disorder specialist or neurologist will assess speech, facial movement, upper and lower extremity movement, walking, and tremor), this examination can be captured easily on video, making telemedicine uniquely suited for the evaluation of PD. Telemedicine allows people who live far away from a movement disorder specialist to get the specialized care they need. It can also be helpful for those who have mobility issues and transportation limitations.

The American Parkinson Disease

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Association and other PD groups are advocating to keep telemedicine in place even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

2. Virtual exercise The explosion of virtual exercise options is making it nearly impossible to have an excuse for not fitting in some physical activity these days.

The benefits of exercise for people with PD have been scientifically proven, and exercise is now recognized as a vital part of treating PD. Thanks to technology, we can now access all sorts of fitness programs right from the comfort of our own homes. There is a wide array of PD-specific exercise and movement classes available online. As long as you have internet access, you can find a class to take no matter where you are. Some organizations, like the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), have virtual events calendars that show you all of the upcoming classes you can join, free of charge.

There is data that indicates tai chi, yoga, and dance offer health benefits for people with PD, so you may want to try one of those, or you can try another exercise type that piques your interest. The best exercise is the one you’re actually going to do, so give a few different types a try to see which you like best.

3. Mobile apps Apps on your smartphone aren’t just for finding directions to the hot new restaurant in town or passing the time — they can help people with PD, too. There is a variety of

fitness tracker apps available to help you monitor your physical activity. Exercise is highly beneficial for people with PD, so if you need help staying motivated and on track, a fitness app might be for you. There are many to choose from based on the type of exercise you prefer and your level of fitness.

Another helpful app is the APDA Symptom Tracker. Each person’s PD symptoms are different, and this app was specifically designed for people with PD. It helps you keep track of symptoms — including tremors, rigidity, balance, and non-motor symptoms — and create a report to share with your care team. It has an interactive medication tracker where you can enter your specific medications and doses, and the time of day you take them, which helps identify opportunities for better symptom management. There is also a Spanish version of the app.

Finally, meditation apps can help manage depression and anxiety, which are common symptoms of PD. Apps like Calm and Headspace offer a way to engage with different meditative practices to ease anxiety and depression.

Life with Parkinson’s disease can be challenging, but there is so much you can do to improve your life and make daily activities easier. Technology is just one element that can help you live life to the fullest. n Dr. Rebecca Gilbert, Chief Scientific Officer, and Eloise Caggiano, VP of Development, Marketing, & Communications, American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA)

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