Parkinson's disease affects 1 million people in the US with a rising prevalence. In addition to neurological problems, patients with Parkinson's Disease often suffer from debilitating gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms related to delayed stomach emptying, gas/bloating, and constipation. GI complaints of patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease are poorly understood. This proposal aims to characterize GI disturbance in patients with Parkinson's Disease and provide deeper understanding by investigating symptoms, regional and whole gut transit, anorectal physiology, and the brain-gut axis. The investigator believes patients with Parkinson's Disease will show altered GI sensation, slower GI motility and demonstrate deranged regulation of the brain-gut axis correlated to severity of Parkinson's disease. Results from this study of GI motility and brain-gut axis will define a subset of Parkinson's Disease patients that can benefit from tailored treatment. This study will foster collaboration between Movement Disorder experts and Neurogastroenterologists to provide critical information and lead to innovative therapies in the future to treat GI dysfunction of Parkinson's Disease.
This study focuses on the relationship between the brain and the gut, and additionally will foster collaboration between Movement Disorder experts and Neurogastroenterologists to provide critical information and lead to innovative therapies in the future to treat GI dysfunction of Parkinson's Disease.