June 30, 2026

@michaelokun

History was made yesterday as the National Advisory Council on Parkinson's Research, Care, and Services (National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act) gathered for its inaugural meeting. Prevention and many other pressing topics took their seats at the national table. Can we prevent Parkinson's disease before it begins? Well, the new 8 C's framework just dropped in a new paper and it aims to change the conversation. Primary prevention means reducing the chances of Parkinson's disease developing in the first place, rather than treating symptoms after diagnosis or slowing progression once the disease has already started. However, we cannot forget secondary and tertiary prevention too! Mantri and colleagues describe in a new paper in npj Parkinson's Disease the proceedings and position statement from the first Parkinson's Disease Prevention Think Tank held at the Fixel Institute in Gainesville, Florida and sponsored by the Parkinson’s Foundation. Key points: - The Think Tank proposed 8 C's for prevention including accurate Counts, longitudinal Cohorts, policy Change, individual Counseling, science Communication, disease Coalitions, Cross-disciplinary approaches and sustained financial Commitment. - Environmental exposures including pesticides and industrial chemicals were highlighted as important areas for research, mitigation and policy action. - The group emphasized that preventing Parkinson's disease will require coordinated efforts across science, public health, policy and communities. My take: For decades we have focused appropriately on treating Parkinson's disease after it arrives. It may now be time to invest just as aggressively in preventing it from arriving in the first place. The rise in Parkinson's disease across the globe appears too rapid to be explained by aging and genetics alone. Though many environmental associations remain hypothesis generating and require additional study, history teaches us that waiting for perfect evidence can come at a tremendous cost. The future of Parkinson's may not simply be in better treatments. It may also be in cleaner air, safer water, healthier food systems, smarter regulation and earlier action.