FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON December 05, 2013

New Video Shares Inside Look at Living with Parkinson’s Disease

Michael J. Fox Urges Patient Research Participation in Free DVD and Guidebook

MINNEAPOLIS -

Actor and Parkinson’s patient Michael J. Fox provides an inside perspective and urges fellow patients to participate in Parkinson’s research studies in Parkinson’s Disease: A Guide for Patients and Families, the latest free patient education DVD and guidebook produced by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and its foundation, the American Brain Foundation. This respected resource answers important questions for people with newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. The newest issue of Neurology Now® also features Michael J. Fox and his decision to go back into acting in his new NBC sitcom, “The Michael J. Fox Show,” which follows the life of a news broadcaster living with Parkinson’s. In an email interview, Fox discussed his return to television and the work of his namesake Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which has funded $375 million in research to date and has recently launched a study of smell loss and Parkinson’s. Access the article here. “The quest for a cure depends on patients and their loved ones participating in clinical research,” Fox told Neurology Now. “This is still the thing people don’t know about, and it’s critically important, especially for newly diagnosed patients.” As many as 96 percent of Parkinson's patients have lost some ability to smell by the time they are diagnosed, a process believed to begin years before the motor symptoms of Parkinson's appear. The Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) study aims to learn more about the link between sense of smell and Parkinson’s. PPMI is seeking people over age 60 who do not have Parkinson’s disease to take the online smell survey at www.michaeljfox.org/takethesmellsurvey. The Parkinson’s disease DVD and accompanying guidebook provide expert advice to help people and their families understand Parkinson’s. The DVD is presented by Stanley Fahn, MD, FAAN, H. Houston Merritt professor of neurology and director, Center for Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and Kathleen M. Shannon, MD, professor of neurology and director, Huntington’s Disease Society of America Center for Excellence at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Free copies of the DVD and guidebook can be ordered by calling (800) 879-1960, or visiting https://www.aan.com/practice/patient-education-videos. View the video at http://www.youtube.com/aanchannel. Parkinson’s Disease: A Guide for Patients and Families is a presentation of the AAN and the American Brain Foundation and is sponsored by AbbVie

About the American Academy of Neurology
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 26,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

About the American Brain Foundation
The American Brain Foundation, the foundation of the American Academy of Neurology, is an independent 501(c)(3) organization that funds the most crucial research to cure brain disease, such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, Parkinson's disease, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy. Brain disease affects more than 50 million people in the United States alone. In moving toward its vision, the American Brain Foundation's goal is to reduce the prevalence of brain disease 50 percent by 2040. Learn more at http://www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
As the world’s largest private funder of Parkinson’s research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson’s disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson’s patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding more than $375 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson’s research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson’s disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson’s awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world. For more information, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Web and LinkedIn.