Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by impairment in the function of the nervous system. The disease is predominantly observed in populations with ages greater than 60 years old. Main symptoms include tremors in limbs, head and jaw, muscle stiffness, slow movement, and impaired coordination. These motor difficulties mostly result from the loss/impairment of neurons in the basal ganglia, which produce dopamine, an important hormone and neurotransmitter that controls movement. Other symptoms may include behavioural changes, fatigue, and depression. 

 

According to Parkinson’s Disease Canada, over 100,000 Canadians are currently living with the disease, with an estimated 6,600 new diagnostic cases each year. As estimated by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the number of Canadians living with parkinsonism will double between 2011 and 2031, accompanied by a 50% increase in disease incidence. Most treatments are based on medication or advanced therapies such as deep brain stimulation (DBS). These options have shown to induce side effects including nausea, confusion, memory problems for commonly used drugs and infection and hardware complications with DBS. Hence, treatment strategies with less severe side effects are important areas of study to cope with the high incidence of the disease.