Parkinson’s Disease and Nonmotor Dysfunction fills a major gap in the current rapidly growing body of knowledge concerning Parkinson’s disease. Drs. Pfeiffer and Bodis-Wollner have correctly perceived that many nonmotor features of Parkinson’s disease are given insufficient attention in the medical literature. Unfortunately, they are often also given insufficient attention by the practicing neurologists who see these patients. As recently pointed out, there is clearly much more to Parkinson’s disease than depletion of the nigrostriatal dopamine system (1). Parkinson’s disease (not just m- tiple system atrophy) is a multisystem disorder, both pathologically and in its clinical manifestations. This is clearly true for the various motor system abnormalities, which are not fully corrected by dopamine replacement therapy strategies, but also for the nonmotor system abnormalities that are the subject of this volume. Although recently there has been increased awareness of the cognitive, psychiatric, and sleep disorders commonly associated with Parkinson’s disease, many of their manifestations remain under-recognized and their importance in managing patients is underestimated. Even less attention is paid to the myriad of other nonmotor disturbances that plague these patients. For example, among the autonomic disorders, although orthostatic hypotension is well recognized, it is usually attributed to dopaminergic medications rather than to effects of the underlying disease. Urologic disorders are also very familiar in these patients, but may not be properly understood or well managed.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are known to suffer from motor symptoms of the disease, but they also experience non-motor symptoms (NMS) that are often present before diagnosis or that inevitably emerge with disease progression. The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease have been extensively researched, and effective clinical tools for their assessment and treatment have been developed and are readily available. In contrast, researchers have only recently begun to focus on the NMS of Parkinson's Disease, which are poorly recognized and inadequately treated by clinicians. The NMS of PD have a significant impact on patient quality of life and mortality and include neuropsychiatric, sleep-related, autonomic, gastrointestinal, and sensory symptoms. While some NMS can be improved with currently available treatments, others may be more refractory and will require research into novel (non-dopaminergic) drug therapies for the future. Edited by members of the UK Parkinson's Disease Non-Motor Group (PD-NMG) and with contributions from international experts, this new edition summarizes the current understanding of NMS symptoms in Parkinson's disease and points the way towards future research.

This comprehensive reference provides a detailed overview of current concepts regarding the cause of Parkinson's disease-emphasizing the issues involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of epidemiological studies of parkinsonism.

Parkinson's Disease has traditionally been seen as a movement disorder, and diagnosed by the development of tremor. However, we are beginning to understand that the disease manifests itself in many ways, and that earlier diagnosis might be possible through non-tremor symptoms. This textbook aims to tell the full story of non-motor and non-dopaminergic features of Parkinson's Disease.

Autonomic dysfunction is one of the most prevalent non-motor symptoms that occurs in Parkinson's disease. Autonomic Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease provides up to date information on this important topic, which affects quality of life of these patients. This include a large number of domains: orthostatic hypotension, excessive sweating, dry eyes, constipation, weight loss, increased sensitivity to heat and cold, sexual dysfunction. - Provides comprehensive reviews on different topics of autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease - Each chapter covers a specific autonomic symptom: classification, assessment, treatment - Presents the newest information on each autonomic symptom in Parkinson's disease

A comprehensive and practical manual describing the manifestations, pathophysiology and treatments for non-motor Parkinson's Disease. Topics covered in depth include autonomic and sexual dysfunction, mood disorders, sleep disturbances and drug-induced non-motor symptoms.