Walking Towards A Better Tomorrow

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -09/05/12)- This weekend, 14,000 Canadians from coast-to-coast will be walking in the 22nd annual Parkinson SuperWalk to raise money to support valuable education, resources, support services and research funded each year by Parkinson Society Canada.

Dr. Isabelle Boileau is just one of many researchers across Canada who has received funding from Parkinson Society Canada to support her work. Dr. Boileau is working with a team at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to use state-of-the-art medical imaging technology to examine dopamine receptors in people with Parkinson's disease.

"Our goal is to ultimately determine if and how current treatments for Parkinson's affect the dopamine receptors in the brain," says Dr. Boileau. "Our thought is that over time, and in specific people, these medications could in fact be changing the receptors, which could be why some people with Parkinson's develop involuntary movements known as dyskinesia."

The team is hoping that this research will one day enable doctors to predict who might be at risk of developing dyskinesia as a result of their Parkinson's disease medications and customize treatment accordingly.

Since Parkinson Society Canada's research program began, it has provided funding for over 400 awards, fellowships and grants to improve understanding of the disease, to find new treatments and ultimately to find a cure.

About Parkinson SuperWalk

Parkinson Society Canada's 22nd annual Parkinson SuperWalk is less than a week away! On September 8th-9th, 14,000 volunteers and participants in 95 communities across Canada will walk together with a goal to raise $3 million nation-wide. Parkinson SuperWalk is Parkinson Society Canada's largest fundraising event and since its inaugural walk in 1990 led by a small group of committed volunteers, the nation-wide event has raised more than $25 million for education, support services, research, and advocacy on behalf of Canadians living with Parkinson's. Register online at http://www.parkinsonsuperwalk.ca.

About Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 people living with Parkinson's disease across the country(i). Canadians are encouraged to get involved in their community.

To register, donate, or find a walk, visit http://www.parkinsonsuperwalk.ca. Follow Parkinson SuperWalk on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Walking Towards A Better Tomorrow