What is progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)?
PSP is a form of atypical parkinsonism (a parkinsonism-plus syndrome), which means that it shares some features with Parkinson’s disease such as stiffness of neck and trunk muscles (rigidity), slowness of movement (bradykinesia), and impaired balance. Its most characteristic feature is a specific pattern of abnormal eye movement. PSP was first described in 1964 by Drs. Steele, Richardson, and Olszewski. It occurs more often in men, and the age at onset is typically in the 60’s, roughly ten years later than the usual onset of classic Parkinson’s disease. Between 1-6 in 100,000 people develop PSP.
