here's the link to the NIH/NINDS Parkinson's Research Agenda page:

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/about_ninds...ons_agenda.htm

This topic is a good reason to get involved with PAN; they are (along with MJFF) quite involved with the people at NIH managing the agenda. Although headquartered in NINDS, PD research is spread out among about 10 different divisions at the NIH.

To collect epidemiological information is why the MS/PD registry being pushed by PAN in Congress is so important.

Patient recruitment for clinical trials has always been a problem in PD (age? apathy?); it is why the Parkinson's Disease Foundation has focused on this, and is trying to change the culture. http://www.pdf.org/en/clinical_trial_inv

More work also needs to be done on the environmental links to PD.

PD seems to have little presence at the CDC as well; don't have an answer for that one; PD all over the board needs more awareness and advocacy. We are playing catch up.

Hate to keep saying it, but - stay tuned! We hope to be advocating for things like this once we get ALPHA up and rolling next month; there will be lots of things for people to do.