The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) awarded a $390,823 Project Grant (CFDA 93.113 - Environmental Health) to the RU School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM) in Stratford, New Jersey to conduct research on swallowing problems in Parkinson's disease (PD). The study aims to identify the underlying neurological mechanisms driving treatment-resistant swallowing dysfunction in PD, which affects 90% of patients and significantly impacts quality of life. Over the 5-year project period from September 2024 to June 2029, the researchers will use complementary animal models, behavioral assessments, biomechanical analyses, and neuropharmacological interventions to understand how neurodegeneration inside and outside the substantia nigra differentially impairs components of the feeding process in PD. The findings are expected to guide the development of more targeted therapeutic approaches for addressing swallowing problems, a common yet understudied symptom of Parkinson's disease.