“The best and clearest book I’ve encountered on the current state of knowledge about Parkinson’s Disease . . . a master storyteller.” —The Tampa Tribune
Seven million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s, and doctors, researchers, and patients continue to hunt for a cure. In Brain Storms, Peabody Award–winning journalist Jon Palfreman tells their story—a story that became his own when he was diagnosed with the debilitating illness.
Palfreman chronicles how scientists have worked to crack the mystery of what was once called the shaking palsy, from the earliest clinical descriptions of tremors, gait freezing, and micrographia to the cutting edge of neuroscience, and charts the victories and setbacks of a massive international effort to best the disease. He takes us back to the 1950s and the discovery of L-dopa. He delves into other therapeutic approaches to this perplexing condition, from partial lobotomies and deep brain stimulation to neural grafting. And he shares inspiring stories of brave individuals living with Parkinson’s, from a former professional ballet dancer who tricks her body to move freely again to a patient who cannot walk but astounds doctors when he rides a bicycle with no trouble at all.
The race is on to stop or reverse neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Brain Storms is the long-overdue, riveting, and deeply personal story of that race, and a passionate, insightful look into the lives of those affected.
“Well written and poignant.” —The Wall Street Journal
“[Palfreman] has an excellent grasp on the science behind the disease . . . but it is as a human story that the book is most compelling.” —The Times Literary Supplement
“Clean prose, clear thought and fascinating stories.” —The Miami Herald
“Extraordinary case studies abound.” —Nature
“Fast-paced, captivating . . . part scientific investigation, part medical detective story, and part memoir . . . it opens wide a window into the world of Parkinson’s.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)