Please note: This is the pharmacology version of the course: Targeting Brain Structures and Novel Therapies to Manage Parkinson’s Disease R577. Click here to take the general version (no pharmacology CEs).

Course Summary

Expiration Date: 10/24/2028

Recent advances in research have led to new drugs and techniques for managing Parkinson’s Disease (PD). These treatments often delay the need for surgery and improve patients’ quality of life and longevity. Pharmacological management is suitable for many newly diagnosed patients, with various medications contributing to improved life expectancy and quality of life for those with PD. These numerous treatment options have helped defer surgical intervention for many patients, sometimes for years or even decades. Non-pharmacological treatments for PD include ablative therapy, deep brain stimulation (DBS), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive training, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). These therapies address motor symptoms, psychiatric comorbidities, and cognitive issues. Future directions in PD treatment focus on enhancing existing therapies and developing novel approaches, such as new medications, gene therapy, neural transplants, and improved DBS techniques. While some complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies show promise, further research is needed for many, including botanical supplements and cannabis, to establish conclusive evidence of effectiveness. Neuroprotective strategies are also a key area of research, such as neural transplants and gene therapy, though no definitive drug has yet been found to prevent the disease.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Advancing Signs and Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
    • Motor Signs and Fluctuations
    • Dyskinesia
    • Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Status
  • Psychiatric Comorbidities and Cognitive Impairment
    • Classification Stages and Atypical Parkinsonism
    • Criteria for Diagnosis of PD-MCI
    • Dementia in Parkinson’s Disease
    • Diagnostic Criteria for Probable and Possible PD-D
    • Features of Dementia Associated with Parkinson’s Disease
  • Pharmacologic Treatment for Neuropsychiatric Symptoms
    • Non-Pharmacological Therapies
    • Dietary Treatments
    • Physical And Exercise Therapy
  • Future Directions in Parkinson’s Disease
    • Novel Therapies: Agents and Targets
    • Case Scenario
  • Summary

Authors

Marilyn Lajoie, MD, DC, CCSP

Dr. Marilyn Lajoie obtained her medical degree from Saba University School of Medicine in 1999, Her residency began with one year of Anatomical and Surgical Pathology at Orlando Regional Medical Center, before transferring within the same post-graduate residency program to Internal Medicine. Upon completion of residency, she went into private practice in Orlando, where she specialized in Internal Medicine, Sports Medicine and Rehab, as well as acute and chronic pain management. Before becoming a medical doctor, she had practiced as a Chiropractic Physician, graduating from New York Chiropractic College in 1980, practicing initially on Long Island, N.Y., before moving to Florida where she had a successful chiropractic practice and physical rehabilitation center, and gained recognition as a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician. Dr. Lajoie was also the Director of Physical Therapy at Horizon Hospital, a residential and outpatient psychiatric hospital, and later, continued in the same capacity at Horizon’s sister psychiatric hospital in Brooksville, Florida. Dr. Lajoie maintained her chiropractic license and continued to practice both Internal Medicine and Chiropractic throughout private practice, until moving to the Veterans Healthcare System in 2014. Continuing in both fields, she became the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Montana VA, where she completed her service in 2021. Dr. Lajoie now works predominantly in telemedicine, and in an Expert Witness capacity for both medical and chiropractic cases. Still living in Montana, she enjoys being able to treat not only the rural areas of the state through this technology, but also patients across the US where she maintains multiple active state licenses. She and her husband also own a llama ranch with over thirty llamas that are hand selected for rare genetics. At the llama ranch, the public is invited to come and visit to learn about these elegant creatures, and to see ranch life firsthand – llama style! Dr. Lajoie and her husband have six adult children, as well as seven dogs.

Dana Bartlett, RN, BSN, MSN, MA, CSPI

Dana Bartlett is a professional nurse and author. His clinical experience includes 16 years of ICU and ER experience and over 27 years as a poison control center information specialist. Dana has published numerous CE and journal articles, written NCLEX material, textbook chapters, and more than 100 online CE articles, and done editing and reviewing for publishers such as Elsevier, Lippincott, and Thieme. He has written widely on the subject of toxicology and was a contributing editor, toxicology section, for Critical Care Nurse journal. He is currently employed at the Connecticut Poison Control Center. He lives in Wappingers Falls, NY.

Susan Depasquale, MA, MSN, PMHNP-BC

Susan DePasquale is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Her current practice is with families, youth and adults who have mental illnesses in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including telepsychiatry for Montana, Washington and Wisconsin communities. She completed her Masters of Art in Political Science at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Masters of Science in Nursing at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington with a focus in neurogastroenterology and the Post-Masters of Science in Nursing at the Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana with a focus in psychiatry. She has worked with small and rural healthcare teams in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada, and in teaching and research hospitals such as Providence Health and Virginia Mason Medical Center Digestive and Liver Disease Departments in Seattle. Since 2012, she has been actively involved in online continuing education program development for nurses and health teams.