UCTV Documentary Features UCSF in "A Dose of Hope" for Parkinson's Patients

What is it like to live with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative neurological disorder? Where do patients and their families turn for the latest treatment options, compassionate care and a sense of hope for the future? A new 30-minute documentary debuting today (January 24) answers those questions as it focuses on UCSF, home to one of the leading neuroscience centers in the United States. The documentary features interviews with leading medical experts from UCSF’s renowned Parkinson’s Disease Clinic and Research Center and their patients. Titled “Parkinson’s Disease: A Dose of Hope,” the documentary premiers nationally tonight at 9 p.m. on University of California Television (UCTV). Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that targets cells in the brain that control movement. Symptoms include tremors, stiffness and poor balance as well as depression or dementia. Some patients experience an impaired “autonomic” nervous system, the part of the nervous system that helps control blood pressure as well as the bowel and bladder. The disease affects about 1 million people in the United States.

Center of Excellence

Designated as a National Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence since 1992, the Parkinson's Disease Clinic and Research Center in the Department of Neurology at UCSF, uses a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to patient care. The center provides a wide variety of services including outreach, education, research opportunities, and clinical and surgical services. “Over the course of my career, I’ve seen tremendous progress in our understanding of the nature of Parkinson’s disease, and advances in its treatment,” says Michael Aminoff, MD, director of the UCSF’s Parkinson’s Disease Clinic and Research Center and distinguished professor of neurology at UCSF’s School of Medicine. Aminoff, an expert in the clinical, diagnostic, and treatment aspects of Parkinson's disease, is prominently featured in the documentary, which sheds light on progress made in treating patients with the disease. The documentary “points to an even brighter future with gene therapy and other innovative multidisciplinary treatment strategies,” Aminoff says. “These are truly exciting and hopeful times.” The UCTV-produced documentary explores the center’s inroads into the diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment of Parkinson’s through the eyes of its medical experts and patients, giving viewers a comprehensive introduction to this complex, degenerative neurological disease that manifests in many different ways, often making it difficult to recognize. Complementing the documentary is “Parkinson’s Disease: Latest From the Experts,” an hour-long briefing aimed at general practitioners and other health care providers, patients, and anyone else interested in an accessible but in-depth overview of the latest advances and insights into the disease. This program premieres Thursday Jan. 27 at Noon (PT) and is also available online at www.uctv.tv/parkinsons. UCTV broadcasts educational and enrichment programming from the campuses, national laboratories, and affiliated institutions of the University of California, reaching 22 million homes nationwide on satellite (Dish Network, Ch. 9412) and cable www.uctv.tv/cable and worldwide via live stream, video archives and podcasting on the UCTV website.

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