The Specific Cause Of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor dysfunctions including: tremors at rest, difficulty initiating and executing voluntary movements, slowed movements (bradykinesia), muscular rigidity and postural instability. The specific cause of the Parkinson’s disease is still unknown; many scientists have found correlations of genetic, environmental (toxins), and lifestyle factors (stressful life events and nutrition) with increased risks of PD. Parkinson’s disease is more common in the Midwest and Northeast affecting Caucasians and Hispanics more than Asians or African Americans. Men are approximately 1.5 times more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than women. The age of onset is variable; most patients are at greater risk after the age of 50 however there are patients who have early onset Parkinson’s disease around the age of 40.

The motor dysfunctions of Parkinson’s disease are thought to result primarily from the degeneration and death of dopamine-producing cells in the cerebellum mainly targeting the striatum, which is the input gate of basal ganglia (BG). (Benazzouz et al., 2014). The basal ganglia are a mass of nerve cells located deep in the cerebral cortex. The cerebellum controls conscious activity including intellect, thought, speech, emotions, and memory. As a consequence, Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a consistent reduction of striatal dopamine levels. When dopamine-producing neurons die, symptoms such as tremor, slowness, stiffness, and balance problems