what is psp

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements. It is caused by the deterioration of cells in areas of the brain that control body movement, coordination, thinking, and other important functions. PSP affects everyone differently, but common symptoms include balance issues with frequent falls, eye movement issues, cognitive changes, becoming more forgetful and cranky, having unusual emotional outbursts, like crying or laughing at unexpected times, becoming angry for no real reason, tremors in the hands, and trouble controlling eye movements. There is no known cure for PSP, but medicines and devices can help manage the symptoms. Researchers are studying how genetics and the environment interact to make people more susceptible to the disease and hope to identify specific gene changes that cause PSP. There have been significant efforts to develop new therapies for PSP to slow down or stop the disease progression, including anti-tau therapy to stop the accumulation and spread of the tau protein and other studies that have focused on different PSP-related changes in the nervous system, including inflammation and problems with mitochondria. As someone with PSP can be affected in many different ways, treatment and care is provided by a team of health and social care professionals working together.