The Parkinson's Institute was started in 1982 when a group of young Bay Area drug addicts appeared in emergency rooms unable to move or speak. Dr. Langston was able to discover that the cause of their disorder was their injection of a drug known as MPTP which produced a condition virtually identical to advanced Parkinson's disease. Gradually, a group of dedicated scientists was assembled to pursue their dream of solving the puzzles of movement disorders. Today, we treat more than 2500 patients each year and conduct extensive research programs. The Institute is the only comprehensive, independent medical research institute in the world dedicated solely to studying movement disorders.