Cassandra Frangella | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Cassandra Frangella
Title: Critical Examination of the Underutilization of Occupational Therapy in the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Motor Disorders: Parkinson’s Disease and Atypical Parkinsonism
Major: Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience
Advisors: Amy Jo Stavnezer; Grit Herzmann

Aging well is highly desirable, yet motor deficits tend to decrease the quality of life as we age. Neurodegenerative motor disorders are on the progressive end of the spectrum of age-related detriments and come with systems that impact how individuals function in daily life. Parkinson’s Disease is a major neurodegenerative disorder that impacts about 1% of the population and 3% of those over 80, which only increases when combined with atypical parkinsonism; Multiple System Atrophy and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (Cacabelos, 2017). Though understanding similarities and differences between parkinsonism can help with differential diagnosis, this can limit early therapeutic involvement. This thesis will outline the underlying causes and behavioral symptoms of these motor disorders and describe the best course of action for treating these progressive disorders. Occupational therapy, which focuses on holistic treatments and protocols that surround the patient as a whole, make it one of the most effective early rehabilitation therapies. However, underutilization, difficulty in diagnosis, under-developed research, and the stigma behind medical specializations and recommendations in health care led to situations that could be dealt with more efficiently for patient outcomes.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.