What is PSP? Civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson being treated for rare brain disorder

"What is PSP? Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare brain disease that affects walking, balance, eye movements and swallowing, according to the Mayo Clinic. PSP is also known as Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome. The cause of PSP isn't known, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms come from the damage of brain cells. The only proven risk factor for progressive supranuclear palsy is age, according to the Mayo Clinic."

"The 84-year-old gained national attention in the 1960s as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s protégé. Jackson spent more than 60 years advocating for racial equality and economic justice. He ran for U.S. president in 1984 and 1988. He helped to found the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization dedicated to social justice. He spent nearly three decades leading Rainbow PUSH before stepping down in 2023."

Rev. Jesse Jackson was hospitalized in Chicago and is under observation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a neurodegenerative disorder he has managed for more than a decade. He was initially diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and received a PSP diagnosis in April 2025. Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare brain disease that affects walking, balance, eye movements and swallowing and is also known as Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome. The cause of PSP is unknown, symptoms result from brain cell damage, and age is the only proven risk factor. Jackson is 84 and spent over sixty years advocating for racial equality, founded and led Rainbow PUSH, and ran for president in 1984 and 1988.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles