Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Care

Conditions We Treat

Receive comprehensive care for Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases that affect the brain, including:

• Corticobasal degeneration (CBD): Makes it difficult to move due to shrinking and dying nerve cells in parts of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia
• Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB): Results in slow movements, muscle stiffness, and tremors, along with loss of memory and confusion
• Huntington's disease (HD): Causes uncontrolled movements, loss of thinking and reasoning abilities, and severe mood swings
• Multiple system atrophy (MSA): Begins with sleep disturbances and can cause difficulty controlling bladder and bowel function, breathing, and maintaining blood pressure and heart rate
• Parkinson's disease: Leads to slow movements, tremors, muscle stiffness, and symptoms that affect the mind and mood
• Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP): Causes symptoms that worsen over time and vary depending on the area of the brain affected
• Tic disorders and Tourette syndrome: Cause repetitive, involuntary or semi-voluntary movements or sounds

Learn More About Movement Disorders

Diagnosing Parkinson's and Other Movement Disorders

Our specialists use comprehensive evaluations and advanced diagnostic testing to accurately diagnose your condition, including:

• Lab testing
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Neurological exams

Personalized Treatment and Support

At UC San Diego Health, we create personalized treatment plans tailored to your condition, symptoms and goals. Your care plan may include:

• Evaluation and treatment of cognitive (thinking) and emotional problems, including mental health assessments
• Medication to improve symptoms and, when possible, slow disease progression
• Educational programs for patients, caregivers and health care providers
• Information to help you understand your condition and what to expect as it progresses
• Neurological rehabilitation assessment and services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and swallowing evaluation and therapy
• Surgical evaluation and treatments, when appropriate, including programming and reprogramming of deep brain stimulators (UC San Diego Health was the first to offer deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy in San Diego
• Opportunities to participate in clinical research that examines new treatments for movement disorders
• Local resources and support groups to help manage stress