Excerpt from "What If?" - Movement Disorders Video from the Life in Motion Awareness Campaign

Overview of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rapidly progressing degenerative disease whose cause is unknown. Degeneration of cells in several brain areas causes a variety of motor symptoms, including postural instability and frequent falls, difficulty swallowing and speaking, and slowed movements. One characteristic symptom of PSP is downward gaze palsy, meaning the loss of the ability to move the eyes to look downward. Other symptoms sometimes seen later in the disease include emotional or personality changes, sleep disturbances, and cognitive losses such as mental slowing, forgetfulness, and difficulty with abstract reasoning.

PSP is more common in men than in women. Symptoms usually begin between ages 50 and 60, with a range from the early forties to the late eighties. Because its early symptoms may look similar to those of Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease, it is often initially misdiagnosed as one of these two diseases.

	Complications of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy