In this episode, I review the four main mimics of Parkinson’s disease, also called the Parkinson’s Plus syndromes. These are multiple system atrophy (MSA), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD).
I explore the clinical manifestations, investigations, and treatments of these disorders, highlighting such striking features as autonomic dysfunction in MSA, unusual eye movements in PSP, fluctuating cognition in DLB, and alien hand syndrome with CBD.
I also illustrate the patient perspectives of the disorders with such illness memoirs as those of Kimberly Bohannon titled The Beautiful Destruction of My Life, of Bill Sydnor titled Living Day by Day With MSA, that of Claire Verney titled Notes of a Love Song, that of Steve Dagnell titled You, Me & PSP, and that of Evelyn Walsh titled Parkinson’s Plus: A Woman’s Struggle Battling Alien Movements.
