More than 10 million people are living with Parkinson’s disease today ‒ over 1 million in the United States alone. It’s the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease in the world, demanding new urgency and new ideas.

Parkinson’s affects people in different ways ‒ but its impact on daily life can be profound for both patients and those who care for them.

While much about the disease remains unknown, the need is clear: better answers, more effective treatment and stronger support. 

At CU Anschutz, teams across campus are taking on that challenge. 

Supporting Safer Living at Home

For many people with Parkinson’s, staying safe and independent at home is a top concern. 

Neuropalliative care specialist Christina Vaughan, MD, works with patients and families to make practical adjustments ‒ from simplifying the home environment to building routines and using tools that make everyday tasks more manageable.

The goal is to help people live as well as possible for as long as possible ‒ with adaptations like those illustrated here supporting greater independence.

Advancing Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established treatment for some people with Parkinson’s, using implanted electrodes to help reduce symptoms like tremor and stiffness. New advances are making DBS more precise, allowing clinicians to use a patient's own brain signals to guide therapy and adjust stimulation in real time.

The CU Anschutz Movement Disorders Center is one of 23 sites nationwide selected to roll out this new technology, with a team led by Drew Kern, MD, MS, and John Thompson, PhD. Early findings suggest that it’s improving patient symptoms ‒ and it’s already opening new frontiers for research.

Faculty on our campus are also helping patients decide whether DBS is right for them with a first-of-its-kind decision tool. 

Unlocking New Insights with Neuropixels Technology

Alongside advances in treatment, CU Anschutz researchers are working to better understand how Parkinson’s affects the brain.

Using Neuropixels technology, Daniel Kramer, MD, and team are capturing unprecedented, highly detailed data on brain activity. Our campus is the first site with FDA authorization to use this investigational device to study executive function, offering a new window into how Parkinson’s affects thinking, planning and decision-making. 

These insights are unlocking a deeper understanding of the complexities of the brain, bringing us closer to more targeted and effective treatments for neurological diseases.

Expanding Possibilities

April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month ‒ a reminder of the impact of this disease and the importance of continued progress. It’s also an opportunity to recognize the people across our campus working every day to advance new solutions and improve lives.

With gratitude,

Don Elliman