OUTLOOK

04 November 2026

The disease is thought to be divided into two subtypes, depending on where it originates in the body — the gut or the brain.

By

Rachel Nuwer Rachel Nuwer is a freelance writer based in New York City.

Myriam Penninckx was having lunch at a restaurant in Brussels when her right arm began to shake. This was just the latest in a string of signs that something might be amiss. Her handwriting had suddenly become impossible to decipher, and she had noticed herself slowing down, physically and mentally. “I had always been Speedy Gonzales, doing a lot of things at the same time,” she says. “But that was becoming less possible.”

Nature 659 , S9-S11 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03169-x

This article is part of Nature Outlook: Parkinson’s disease , a supplement produced with financial support from Aspen Neuroscience, Inc . Nature maintains full independence in all editorial decisions related to the content. About this content .

References

Braak, H. et al. Neurobiol.…