Parkinson's Disease

University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics coordinates the diagnosis, treatment, and counseling of individuals and families coping with Parkinson's disease or at risk for Parkinson's disease.

Request an Appointment

For requests:

1-800-777-8442

For Neurology related requests:: 1-319-356-2572

For Neurosurgery related requests:: 1-319-356-2237

For Psychiatry related requests:: 1-319-353-6314

Our multidisciplinary team offers a full range of services including assessment of the three primary areas affected by the disease:

Cognitive assessment

Strengths and weaknesses in the thinking processes are evaluated by a neuropsychologist

Functional and behavioral assessment

Current mood and level of day-to-day functioning is evaluated by a psychiatrist

Motor assessment

Movement (chorea), posturing, rigidity and balance are evaluated by a neurologist

Patients and their families will also be assessed for other health care needs such as speech therapy or genetic counseling and testing at the clinic. We offer deep brain stimulation, also known as DBS treatment among others.

University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics also provides presymptomatic genetic testing and counseling to people who have a family history of Parkinson's disease. This allows people who are at risk for Parkinson's disease to know if they will develop symptoms at some point in the future. We follow Parkinson's Disease Society of America guidelines for presymptomatic testing to provide people support and education during this difficult process.

If you are interested in finding out more about the department of Neurology, our research and educational programs, news and events, or how you can give by donating, please visit our academic and departmental website.

Clinical Research Trials

Please see the following link(s) for information about research trials we are working on.

Research on Parkinson's Disease

Neuroscience research may lead to new clinical applications for patients with Parkinson's disease and other cognitive diseases.

Low frequency brain stimulation improves cognition in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's Disease Resources

These websites may be useful to individuals with Parkinson's disease, their families, and their friends. In particular, the Parkinson’s Foundation offers helpline: 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636) and provides free information and resources. The Parkinson’s Foundation can be reached at [email protected].

The Parkinson’s Foundation has named University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics a center of excellence and added it to a global network of 45 select academic medical centers in July 2018.

The Iowa Chapter of the APDA offers a telephone hotline at 1-877-872-6386, events throughout the year, a tri-annual magazine, referrals to support groups and specialists, and free information and resources. They can be reached at [email protected].

In providing these websites, the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics is not endorsing any particular opinions about Parkinson's disease or its treatment that may be expressed at these websites. Please consult our health care providers or other appropriate health care providers regarding any advice, treatment, or therapy.