Dr. Antonio Strafella
Senior Scientist, Neurologist | University Health Network
Toronto, ON, CANADA
Understanding the Complications of Parkinson’s
Media
Publications:
Documents:
Videos:
Audio/Podcasts:
Biography
More than 100,000 Canadians have Parkinson’s disease and the incidence and impact of this neurodegenerative disorder will only increase as our population ages.
Most of us associate Parkinson’s with tremors, rigidity and slowness, and current treatments focus on relieving these motor-system impairments. But the disease also creates significant complications that are not well managed by current medications. These include poor planning, inability to respond to changing environments, and behavioural disturbances, such as trouble controlling impulses.
Dr. Antonio Strafella, Canada Research Chair in Movement Disorders and Neuroimaging, is using brain imaging to better understand these complications. He examines the brains of Parkinson’s patients to identify the abnormalities that lead to behavioural and cognitive problems arising from the disease.
Industry Expertise (3)
Health Care - Services
Research
Education/Learning
Areas of Expertise (8)
Parkinson's Disease
Neuroscience
Clinical Research
Clinical Trials
Neuroimaging
Medical Educaion
Movement Disorders
Neurology
Accomplishments (1)
Canada Research Chair in Movement Disorders and Neuroimaging (professional)
Appointed by the Government of Canada and University of Toronto. http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/chairholders-titulaires/profile-eng.aspx?profileId=2754
Education (1)
University of Bologna: (Italy): M.D, Ph.D., Neurology
Links (1)
Media Appearances (1)
Spotlight: Antonio Strafella MD, FRCPC
IMS Magazine online
2012-11-26 Dr. Antonio Strafella is a successful clinician-scientist within the Institute of Medical Science (IMS) and a Canada Research Chair in Movement Disorders and Neuroimaging ...
Articles (5)
Molecular imaging and neural networks in impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease
Parkinsonism & Related Disorders
2016 Neuroimaging is advancing our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the development of these behavioral addictions. An increased understanding of these disorders may lead to the discovery of new therapeutic targets, or the identification of risk factors for the development of these disorders.
Imaging pathological tau in atypical parkinsonian disorders
Current Opinion in Neurology
2015 This review examines the current literature on tau imaging in atypical parkinsonian disorders and other tauopathies.
Apathy in Parkinson's disease: clinical features, neural substrates, diagnosis, and treatment
The Lancet
2015 Normal maintenance of human motivation depends on the integrity of subcortical structures that link the prefrontal cortex with the limbic system. Structural and functional disruption of different networks within these circuits alters the maintenance of spontaneous mental activity and the capacity of affected individuals to associate emotions with complex stimuli.
Neuroimaging of freezing of gait
Journal of Parkinson's Disease
2015 In this review we will summarize the state of the art of neuroimaging research for freezing of gait. We will also discuss the limitations of current approaches and delineate the next steps of neuroimaging research to unravel the pathophysiology of this mysterious motor phenomenon.
Salience network and parahippocampal dopamine dysfunction in memory-impaired Parkinson disease
Annals of Neurology
2015 Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are vulnerable to dementia and frequently experience memory deficits. This could be the result of dopamine dysfunction in corticostriatal networks (salience, central executive networks, and striatum) and/or the medial temporal lobe. Our aim was to investigate whether dopamine dysfunction in these regions contributes to memory impairment in PD.
Social