How well do you smell? Or other ways to diagnose movement disorders early.

By the time that patients are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, many of the cells in the brain have already been irreparably damaged. There is a need to identify those individuals who are destined to develop Parkinson's disease and treat optimally and early and before appreciable deterioration has occurred in the brain. In the next 30 years, the number of people in Canada diagnosed with Parkinson's disease will double. Finding ways to identify and intervene will be crucial in order to avoid the collapse of our already overburdened health care system. This Café will focus on cutting edge research on Parkinson's disease undertaken by Nova Scotia investigators. This Café is meant to be interactive between the audience and the speakers. Our objectives are to : 1.increase awareness of the prevalence and risk factors associated with the development of PD; 2. share and discuss recent scientific information regarding the potential biomarkers for preclinical diagnosis of PD and other neurodegenerative disorders; and 3. critically examine current options for early and effective treatment of PD and other neurodegenerative disorders.