Understanding Parkinson’s

There is a lot to know about Parkinson's disease. Learn about symptoms, how it is diagnosed and what treatment options are available.
Living with Parkinson’s

While living with PD can be challenging, there are many things you can do to maintain and improve your quality of life and live well with Parkinson's disease.
Resources & Support

Living well with Parkinson’s disease (PD) means getting the support you need — from tools that help you work alongside your care team to resources that empower you.
Advancing Research

Our research has led to breakthroughs in treatment and improved care that bring hope to the entire Parkinson's community.
How You Can Help

There are many ways you can support the fight against Parkinson’s. Whatever form your gift takes, you can be confident that it goes toward providing crucial resources for those affected by this disease.

Podcasts

Episode 148: How to Prevent Sudden “Off” Episodes

“Off” episodes can become a troubling aspect of Parkinson’s disease (PD), especially as the disease progresses. These are periods in the day when the effect of levodopa medication wears off, either suddenly or gradually, with a return of motor or non-motor symptoms.

The good news is that there are several ways to try to minimize “off” episodes, including medication timing, medication adjustments, and add-on medications. In this podcast episode, Dr. George Kannarkat, a movement disorders fellow at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, discusses “off” episodes, their causes, strategies that people can use today to minimize them, and what new technologies are here or coming along to help lessen them.

Released: April 4, 2023

Dr. George Kannarkat is an MD-PhD trained physician-scientist who is currently finishing his Movement Disorders fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. After fellowship, he will be staying at the University of Pennsylvania as an Instructor to continue seeing individuals with Parkinson's disease while concurrently working in the lab of Dr. Alice Chen-Plotkin. His research interests are understanding the molecular mechanisms, particularly those outside the brain, that contribute to initiating pathology seen in Parkinson's disease. His ultimate goal is to help develop technologies that identify and treat disease in early or prodromal stages. He completed medical school and his graduate training at the Emory University School of Medicine where he worked in the lab of Dr. Malu Tansey to work on peripheral immune mechanisms of neurodegeneration. He completed his neurology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

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For all of our Substantial Matters podcast episodes, visit Parkinson.org/Podcast.

About George Kannarkat, MD, PhD

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