Curt,
Thanks for the information about the development of a PD registry -
hope it will be up and running soon. Is this registry being sponsored by
the NIH or independently by the PD groups?
For another example of how the Web can be used to help further medical
research, take a look at the Epilepsy Gene Discovery Project at:
http://www.epilepsygene.org/
This project is sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation of America, and
they have an extensive section on confidentiality safeguards.
BTW for those with interest in seizure disorders, the EFA site also
announced that today is the start of an NIH Conference on "Curing
Epilepsy: Focus on the Future." There is an online version allowing
people to ask questions and join in a chat room - see:
http://www.efa.org/news/nih.html
I've noticed other postings about seizure disorders on the list, over
the years. Our son has epilepsy - also "idiopathic" like my PD, and there
is no other family history. I often wonder if there could be a genetic
connection - could he have inherited a genetic neurological suseptibility
from me, that under certain environmental conditions can bring on
seizure disorders, and under others bring on Parkinson's symptoms
instead? Just a theory, but I can only hope that by the next generation,
we will know how to prevent and cure both of these disorders.
Linda
