Anglia Ruskin University

PhD research student: Yael Manor
Supervisory team: Dr Rajshree Mootanah, Dr Catherine Bouriscot, Dr M Balas, Dr N. Giladi, Dr J Cohen
Funding body: The Israeli Government

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with clinical features that are predominantly the result of loss of dopaminergic neurons at the mid brain. As the disease progress, the involvement of additional brain areas in the degenerative process introduces mainly non-dopaminergic, non-motor features. Swallowing disturbances, anxiety and depression are common in patients with Parkinson's disease. Swallowing disturbances are associated with affective responses such as anxiety and depression. The relationships between these affective symptoms and swallowing disturbances in patients with PD are unclear.

This research presents a new therapy approach for treating swallowing disturbances in patients with Parkinson's Diseases. This is carried out by characterising the relationships between level of anxiety, depression and the patients' subjective report as well as objective assessment of swallowing disturbances in patients with PD.

Results of this study show that PD patients, with swallowing disturbances, exhibit higher levels of depression and anxiety compared with PD patients without swallowing disturbances.

Publications:

• Manor, Y., Balas, M., Giladi, N., Mootanah, R., Cohen, J., 2009. "Anxiety, depression and swallowing disorders in patients with parkinson's disease", Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 15(6): 453 - 456 (Impact factor: 2.021).
• Manor Y., Balas M., Giladi N., Mootanah R., Cohen J.T. 2007. "Anxiety, depression and swallowing disorders in patients with parkinson's disease", Proceedings of the Israeli Speech and Hearing convention, Israel.