Moving Forward, Together: Social Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (2022)

This talk, led by Dr. Penny MacDonald, a movement disorders neurologist, and Maggie Prenger, MD/PhD student, discussed the social symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease. These symptoms included facial masking, difficulty recognizing expressions, dysarthria, prosody impairment, humour processing deficits, theory of mind deficits, mood disorders, stigma, dehumanization, and isolation. These social symptoms have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and can lead to negative social consequences like stigma, stigmatization, dehumanization, and isolation.

The talk also highlighted that individuals with Parkinson's disease often experience social symptoms such as loneliness, social rejection, and withdrawal, which can further detrimentally affect their quality of life. These symptoms are believed to result from dysfunction in the basal ganglia, a brain region involved in emotions and social processing, including the processing of emotions like happiness and disgust. Treatment options discussed included behavioural speech therapy, choral singing programs, and patient and caregiver education.

The presentation stressed that Parkinson's disease encompasses not only physical symptoms but also social symptoms, affecting both patients and caregivers. Unfortunately, these social aspects are frequently overlooked by clinicians and researchers, making it essential to address them to enhance the well-being of both patients and caregivers.

**Disclaimer: These sessions are designed to provide general education and are not intended for individual advice and/or clinical care. The information conveyed in this recording was accurate at the time of presentation.**