Adano Ley (Swami Nitty-Gritty) said a person with Parkinson’s Disease is “stuck in park.”

Epilepsy and Parkinsonianism appear to be contrasting syndromes.

In the words of …

Margaret A. Kennard, M.D., “Autonomic Interrelationships with the Somatic Nervous System,” Psychosomatic Medicine, Jan.-Feb. 1947, “When such a person [with Parkinsonianism] is asked to move, especially if the movement is difficult to perform, tremor will increase or appear for the first time. Because of this, such tremors have been called intention tremors by some clinicians. Others, noting the presence of tremor in some individuals in the absence of active voluntary movements, have termed these tremors of rest, in contrast to the intention tremor of the cerebellar lesion. Probably neither of these terms are accurate, for involuntary movements which result from subcortical lesions, chorea, atheosis, or tremor are never present during sleep and are absent or minimal during complete muscular relaxation. They are thus directly related to degree of muscle tension. This is in contrast to epilepsy which often appears during sleep, and which seems to be chiefly cortical in origin.”

The personality characteristics of Parkinsonians have been comprehensively investigated.

In the words of …

Gotthard Booth, M.D., “Psychodynamics in Parkinsonism,” Psychosomatic Medicine, Jan.-Feb. 1948, “The personality of the Parkinsonian is characterized by the following traits:

“1. Aggressive drive toward external action which is correlated with emphasis on

“2. The locomotor system as its executive organ;

“3. Anxiety for superiority and independence from external influences;

“4. Identification with a rigid parent;

“5. Concern with impersonal social responsibilities;

“6. Experiences of competitive weakness and external restrictions in childhood.

“The result of these traits is an attitude toward life which may be described as a religious attitude toward success.”