I came across a report in Neuroscience News last week that talked about how the non-motor  symptoms of Parkinson’s appear to present differently based on which side of the body is impacted first. The study indicated that people whose motor symptoms started on the left side, like my husband, are more prone to depression and anxiety whereas patients who felt PD first on the right side reported more issues with cognitive decline and potential for dementia. Their work didn’t clarify how to know which of those patients would actually develop any cognitive challenges, it simply looked at historical data and found these relationships. Perhaps that will become clearer as they dig deeper.

There is a saying that when you’ve seen one person with Parkinson’s, you’ve seen one person with Parkinson’s. This report, coming out of the University of Geneva, looked at data collected in 80 studies and over 50 years and found that assertion may not be completely true. There are likenesses among PD patients, even though they may not always be obvious, and those similarities are going to help drive better treatments in the future.

I have always felt that Parkinson’s is a journey without a road map but, just maybe, these new reports will help us get there. The hope is that this information may be useful in creating more personalized treatment plans at an earlier point in the diagnosis. Even though my husband is at more advanced stages with his disease, this information shines a little light on where we have been and may be going and that may let us all know what to watch out for as we continue on our journey.  

This article was found in the Neuroscience News Newsletter dated July 7^th, 2025. Click on the link but you may have to scroll down to find it.