Advancements in Multidisciplinary Parkinson Disease Treatment: Michael Soileau, MD, FAAN

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"When you see one patient with Parkinson, you've seen only one patient with Parkinson, because they're all unique."

Parkinson disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder consisting of movement issues such as bradykinesia, rest tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. As understanding of PD enhances, newer therapies emerge that are being designed to manage symptoms without the adverse effects of existing treatments and slow disease progression. These include drug repurposing, gene therapies, cell-based treatments, and advanced neurosurgical strategies like nuanced deep brain stimulation, all of which may show promise to transform PD treatment in the future.

At the 3rd Annual Advanced Therapeutics in Movement and Related Disorders (ATMRD) Congress, held by the PMD Alliance from June 22-25, 2024, a congregated panel discussion focused on transforming the management of PD in a new era beyond levodopa. During the discussion, experts in movement disorders reviewed the history and advancement of PD treatment and discussed multidisciplinary strategies for engaging patients and care partners in the evolving treatment landscape. The panel was made up of 4 speakers including the following experts: Michael Soileau, MD, FAAN; Cheryl Kyinn, PA-C; Fiona Gupta, MD; and Sherrie Gould, MSN, NP-C.

Following the discussion, Soileau, a movement disorder specialist at Texas Movement Disorder Specialists, sat down with NeurologyLive^® in an interview during the meeting to talk about how the formulations of carbidopa-levodopa have evolved over time to improve patient outcomes. He also talked about the key differences between treating PD with a multidisciplinary team versus a single specialist. Furthermore, Soileau, who also serves as a clinical assistant professor of medical education at Texas A&M Health Science Center, spoke about how individualized patient care impacts the management of both motor and non-motor symptoms in PD.

Click here for more coverage of ATMRD 2024.

REFERENCES
1. Stoker TB, Barker RA. Recent developments in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-862. Published 2020 Jul 31. doi:10.12688/f1000research.25634.1