Given the emerging evidence and apparent importance of rehabilitation in the management of Parkinson' s disease (PD), last year we solicited papers on the topic of rehabilitation for a special issue. This issue was quite successful and as such Parkinson' s disease has decided to make rehabilitation the focus of a series of special issues to be published on an annual basis. We hope that this annual special issue on rehabilitation will have a long-term impact on the field and we hope you will help us to achieve this goal.

Rehabilitation is a key component in the management of PD. In the past decade, there has been a virtual explosion of the literature regarding the effects of physical activity on PD following animal studies that suggested that exercise may have a neuroprotective effect. However, relative to other approaches such as pharmacological and neurosurgical management, the evidence regarding the effects of exercise on PD is less well developed. Critical questions remain about the relative effectiveness of different interventions, the critical components of the interventions, the optimal timing, intensity and dosage of interventions, and the effect interventions have on particular motor and nonmotor symptoms, physical function, quality of life, participation, disability, and disease progression.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the role of rehabilitation and exercise in the management of PD, the development of rehabilitative interventions for individuals with PD, and the evaluation of outcomes. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Roles of physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as other disciplines
• Development and/or evaluation of outcome measures
• Clinical trials of rehabilitation in PD, including methodology papers outlining study designs
• Investigations of underlying mechanisms
• Human and animal studies with clinical relevance (e.g., examining effects of physical exercise)
• Studies of the efficacy and /or effectiveness of rehabilitation on motor and /or nonmotor symptoms of PD, activities of daily living, quality of life, physical function, participation, or other aspects of PD-related disability
• Utilization of rehabilitative services by individuals with PD
• Attitudes toward exercise in the PD community