New research targets faster diagnosis for Parkinson’s patients

MRI images of the brain can help researchers identify biomarkers that detect Parkinson's disease (Photo credit: Ali Khan). Five years ago, Alice Jones (not the patient's real name for privacy) noticed she was having trouble wiggling her toes and using her left shoulder for everyday tasks like washing her hair. After a referral to a neurologist, Jones was diagnosed with a frozen shoulder and pinched nerve. Despite weeks of physiotherapy treatment, her mobility didn't improve. Then, on a visit out-of-town to see her daughter, she met with two new physiotherapists who immediately noticed something different. "Those two physiotherapist visits were the turning point in my diagnosis," said Jones. "They saw what nobody else had seen: my arms weren't swinging naturally when I was walking.