April is Parkinson's Awareness Month

Understanding Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is more than tremors and stiffness. While motor symptoms are widely recognised, people living with PD also experience a range of non-motor symptoms—including loss of smell, sleep problems, mood disturbances, and cognitive changes—that profoundly affect daily life. Each person’s journey is unique, with different symptoms and progression rates.

How Your Support Drives Parkinson’s Research
The NRF funds cutting-edge Parkinson’s research in South Australia, enabling discoveries that improve diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life. This includes:

• Early detection studies: SA researchers are contributing to national and international efforts to identify PD before motor symptoms appear. Early detection can mean earlier treatment and better long-term outcomes.
• Understanding cognitive impacts: The Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory (CANDL) investigates how PD affects memory, thinking, and other non-motor functions, ensuring research reflects the full impact of the disease.
• Innovative therapies: Projects include testing new biological markers to develop a diagnostic framework, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, motor-friendly cognitive training platform NeuroOrb, and next-generation bioelectronic devices to treat neurological disorders safely and effectively.

Recent Publications:

• Australian Parkinson’s Genetics Study: How symptoms differ between men and women
• Towards a Biologically Defined Diagnosis: Incorporating Pathophysiological Measures Into Parkinson's Disease Clinical Criteria
• Utility of baseline pathological, neuroimaging and clinical markers for prognosis in early PD
• Predicting Cognition and Affective Changes in Newly Diagnosed Parkinson's Disease Through Longitudinal Data-Driven Clustering
• History of Traumatic Brain Injury Does Not Influence Rate of Progression of Clinical or Pathological Outcomes in Two Early Parkinson's Disease Cohorts

How You Can Make a Difference
Your support helps fund vital research to better understand Parkinson's disease, develop better treatments and improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s.

You can:

• Donate: Fuel research into early detection, therapies, and cognitive support.
• Learn: Understand the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s to support loved ones and your community.
• Share: Spread awareness during Parkinson’s Awareness Month and beyond.

Together, we can accelerate breakthroughs, improve care, and enhance quality of life for Australians living with Parkinson’s.

Please donate today to make a difference for those impacted by Parkinson's disease now and in the future.