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Michael Okun

@michaelokun.bsky.social

2.4K followers 2K following 5.9K posts

NY Times Besting Author of the Parkinson’s Plan, Medical Advisor Parkinson Foundation, Author 15 books http://pdplan.org Distinguished Professor and Director of the Fixel, Associate Editor JAMA Neurology, co-founder @DBSThinkTank

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 23d

Air pollution and Lewy body dementia: A wake-up call. A new study published in Science revealed that fine particle pollution (PM2.5) does not simply worsen general dementia risk. It may directly promote Lewy body dementia (LBD). @sfn.org

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 16h

Ray Rosales from the Phillipines presented a beautiful plenary talk at MDS Hawaii based on his paper in Nature Reviews Neurology. How clusters of parkinsonism around the world, from Guam to Guadeloupe, from Japan to France, reveal to us striking lessons about the interplay w/ environmental toxins.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 1d

Do you know how evolution shaped human vulnerability to neurological diseases? The term ‘antagonistic pleiotropy’ means a single gene can have both helpful and harmful effects. A gene can help us to survive early in life, however later may increase disease risk.

Reposted by Michael Okun

Compound Interest | Chemistry infographics @compoundchem.com · 2d

The 2025 #NobelPrize in Chemistry was awarded today for the development of metal-organic frameworks, molecular sponges with applications in gas storage, water purification and more: www.compoundchem.com/2025/10/08/2...

#ChemSky 🧪

Infographic on the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi for the development of metal-organic frameworks. The infographic explains that metal-organic frameworks are molecular sponges built up from metal ions and organic compounds that act as linkers. Small molecules such as gases can move into and out of cavities in these frameworks. The graphic highlights some of the MOFs the laureates have developed and concludes by looking at possible future uses of MOFs, including gas storage and extracting water from air.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 2d

Striking new data were presented from the AMT-130 gene therapy program for Huntington’s disease at the Movement Disorders Society meeting in Hawaii this morning, Thanks to Dr. Deborah Hall from Rush for bringing us the breaking data beyond just the press release. @hdsa-mari.bsky.social

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 2d

CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in humans for neuroapthy? YES. A one-time gene editing therapy showed promise in Hereditary ATTR Neuropathy. Gene editing refers to the precise alteration of DNA sequences w/in cells and is used to correct or disable disease causing genes.

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 2d

Can a brain parasite move us? YES. Movement disorders can present as part of a Toxoplasmosis infection. What is Toxo? Garg and colleagues describe in a new paper in Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements how central toxoplasmosis can cause a wide spectrum of movement disorders like hemichorea.

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 4d

Are there clues we are missing in the gut? Spoiler alert: Microbiome differences in Parkinson’s vs isolated REM sleep behavior disorder. The intestinal microbiota refers to the trillions of microorganisms living in our gut that play critical roles in digestion, immunity and possibly brain health.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 5d

What’s on the health supplement label matters. A structure and function claim refers to language describing how a nutrient supports normal body function, for example it states supports brain health w/o stating that it prevents/treats a disease. We should teach people about this and let them choose.

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 6d

Do you know how a quaking idea reshaped neuroscience, prion and the Parkinson's field? We must reflect on the discoveries that triggered shifts in a field, like the α-synuclein seeding assay for Parkinson’s.

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 7d

Should we be stimulating the old vagus nerve (e.g. VNS) to steady movement and quiet inflammation in Parkinson’s and beyond? How about a 2025 update? The vagus nerve is the major parasympathetic highway linking brainstem nuclei to body organs and it can be electrically stimulated!

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 8d

New nationwide data links TCE exposure to higher Parkinson’s risk. Trichloroethylene or TCE is a widely used industrial solvent and environmental contaminant that can be found in air, soil and water. New paper: TCE associated w/ increased risk of Parkinson’s in older adults across USA.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 8d

Anti-amyloid therapy moves to 'the home' as the FDA approves subcutaneous maintenance dosing for Alzheimer’s disease. Could this be the beginning of a shift in the treatment landscape for Alzheimer’s disease. @alzassociation.bsky.social

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 9d

Do you know how genes and the environment shape Parkinson’s disease? Does the time (or the temporal sequence) of events matter? Genetic risk factors unfold over time, interact w/ environmental exposures and may contribute to the many ways Parkinson’s disease shows itself. @thelancet.com

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 10d

KevinMD just dropped a post on expanding the Parkinson’s universe of care for persons w/ Parkinson’s, caregivers, clinicians and communities. The post is focused on an excerpt from the just published book, the Parkinson’s Plan www.pdplan.org

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 11d

Could the Parkinson’s drug levodopa prime the brain to respond better to intensive rehabilitation following a stroke or injury? Enter the idea: Let’s give dopamine pills after a stroke? Spoiler alert: This new large, randomized trial published in JAMA revealed no added benefit in recovery.

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Reposted by Michael Okun

Tamim Ahsan @tamim-ahsan.bsky.social · 13d

🚨 TWO great news in medical science 🧪

1️⃣ A gene therapy targeting Huntington's Disease has shown significant success in a small clinical trial by slowing down the progression of the disease.

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doi.org/10.1038/d415...

Huntington’s disease treated for first time using gene therapy

Preliminary results from a small trial offer the clearest evidence yet that the brain disease’s progression can be slowed.

doi.org

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 12d

Having a PLAN for how you live will indeed shape your brain: New JAMA randomized trial linked lifestyle to potentially slowing cognitive decline. Baker and colleagues describe how a trial tested structured vs self-guided lifestyle programs in over 2,000 older adults at risk for dementia.

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 13d

How heritable is autism when compared to Parkinson’s? Pearson in Nature: autism’s heritability has been estimated at about 80%, similar to the characteristic of height. Reading this article about autism got me thinking about Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s heritability it is substantially lower ~20%+.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 14d

Walking 7000 steps a day may help you live longer and stronger. I am on the West coast for a book tour and on all 4 stops this 'one' keeps coming up and it comes in at #21 on our Parkinson's 25 in the Parkinson's Plan Book www.pdplan.org

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 15d

Do you know about the ripples in your brain important for memory? Ripples are brief bursts of high-frequency brain activity (80–150 Hz) that last about 20–100 milliseconds and are thought to help link and replay patterns of neural activity that support your memory.

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 16d

A gene therapy buzz: Did AMT-130 really slow Huntington's disease by 75% at 36 months? A press release say YES. The data not yet been subjected to peer review and publication.
uniqure.gcs-web.com/news-release...

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 16d

Check out this paper that unlocked the human brain networks behind tics. The research team recorded signals during tic and tic-free states revealing the rhythms that seem to drive tic generation. What was cool was that all participants had brain leads placed into two different regions.

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 17d

Boom: The results of the ADAPT-PD personalized brain stimulation trial showed promise for treating Parkinson’s. First longer-term results for adaptive DBS in PD. Adaptive stimulation automatically adjusts in real time to a person’s brain signals. @parkinsondotorg.bsky.social

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Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 18d

Should we be poking more holes in the brain-first vs body-first Parkinson’s theory? The brain-first body-first hypothesis suggests Parkinson’s may begin in either the brain (olfactory bulb or amygdala) or the body (gut, skin, kidney) and then spread. Espay and Lees describe the evidence.

Michael Okun @michaelokun.bsky.social · 19d

What is the update for skin biopsies to differentiate Parkinson's vs. MSA? Spoiler alert: under confocal microscope, skin biopsies look different in PD vs MSA. Donadio and colleagues describe in a new paper in Brain the uses of intraneural phosphorylated α-synuclein. @parkinsondotorg.bsky.social

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