Introduction
Parkinson disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting primarily the patient’s motor function. The disease is characterized by rigidity, tremor at rest, bradykinesis, and decreased postural reflexes (Bollinger, Cowan, LaFontaine, Ronai, 2012). Parkinson disease was largely documented and brought to the forefront by James Parkinson, who published an article discussing the condition in 1817 (Lees, 2007). While great strides in understanding and treatment have been made, Parkinson disease is still considered an idiopathic disease (Lau & Breteler, 2006). Many areas of the disease process have been noted, but no one has been marked as the primary causative process, as well as little has been solidified in diagnostic procedures to identify Parkinson Disease in living patients. Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, falling behind Alzheimer’s, and effects 340,000 People in the United States (Bollinger, Cowan, LaFontaine,& Ronai, 2012).
Pathophysiology
The disease process of Parkinson disorder is still unknown due to the difficulty of diagnosis and the complexity of the neurological disorder. However many factors have been identified pathology of Parkinson’s.
Basal Ganglia
The supporting cells of the central neurological system are the ganglia cells, basal is in reference to their location at the base of the cerebral hemispheres (Obeso, Rodríguez‐Oroz, Benitez‐Temino, Blesa, Guridi, Marin, & Rodriguez, 2008). The abnormalities of these cells are the most widely accepted, understanding the motor dysfunction found in patients suffering with Parkinson’s. These basal ganglia cells are innervated via the dopaminergic system, as well as their target locations such as the thalamus and bra...
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...ions, deep brain stimulation and therapies, doctors are prepared to help the patient prepare for the road ahead (“Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research). Although researchers are working hard to find a cure, the future for patients with this disease is not bright. We can only hope that one day there will be a discovery to help those suffering from this disease.
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With more than 200,000 US cases per year, Parkinson’s disease has become a major part
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a progressive dementia and the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease dementia. Protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, develop in nerve cells in the brain regions involved in motor control such as, thinking, memory and movement (Mayo Clinic). LBD has similar symptoms with both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease and is often misdiagnosed. Of particular note, Robin Williams suffered from this debilitating disease which lead to his suicide in 2014. It was not discovered until his autopsy three months after his death.
The path physiology of Parkinson’s disease is the pathogenesis if Parkinson disease is unknown. Epidemiologic data suggest genetic, viral, and environmental toxins as possible causes. Nigral and basal loss of neurons with depletion of dopamine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, is the principal biochemical alteration in Parkinson disease. Symptoms in basal ganglia disorders result from an imbalance of dopaminergic (inhibitory) and cholinergic (excitatory) activity in the caudate and putamen of the basal ganglia.
Parkinson's is an idiopathic, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that attacks neurotransmitters in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine is concentrated in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra. The neurotransmitter dopamine is a chemical that regulates muscle movement and emotion. Dopamine is responsible for relaying messages between the substantia nigra and other parts of the brain to control body movement. The death of these neurotransmitters affects the central nervous system. The most common symptoms are movement related, including shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with posture. Behavioral problems may arise as the disease progresses. Due to the loss of dopamine, Parkinson's patients will often experience depression and some compulsive behavior. In advanced stages of the disease dementia will sometimes occur. The implications of the disease on the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory and phonatory systems significantly control speech.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by resting tremor, slowed movements, rigidity and postural instability (Casey G, 2013). It is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s (Martin and Mills, 2012). There is a great variability in reported incidence rates, probably due to difference in diagnostic criteria and case ascertainment, with reported rates in Australia and in Western countries ranging from 8.6 to 19.0 per 100,000 population (J Macphee and D Stewart, 2012). The two main brain structures affected by Parkinson’s are the substantia nigra pars compacta, which is located in the midbrain and other parts of the basal ganglia, w...
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716). Characteristic features of Parkinson's disease include “motor impairment (bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, gait dysfunction, and postural instability), cognitive impairment (frontal lobe executive dysfunction), and mood disorders” (p. 716). Normally, motor performance depends on the interaction between automatic (unconscious) and volitional (cognitive) control of movement, however those with Parkinson's disease, experience an “early and preferential loss of dopamine in the caudal regions of the basal ganglia (dorsal regions in rodents), which leads to diminished automatic and increased cognitive control of movements that include frontal lobe circuitry” (p. 716). Consequently, those with Parkinson’s disease must sustain a larger cognitive load to execute either motor or cognitive tasks, such as working memory. In the past decade, increasing evidence has accrued for the role of exercise in the improvement of motor performance, which may help both the cognitive and automatic control of movement. Thus, exercise interventions can help those with Parkinson’s disease incorporate goal-based motor skill training, which then helps in engaging circuitry important in motor learning. Individuals with Parkinson's disease become cognitively engaged with the practice and acquiring of movements and skills that were formerly automatic and unconscious. In addition, aerobic exercise is also observed as important for improvement of blood flow and assistance of neuroplasticity in the elderly, which may also play a role in the improvement of behavioral function in those with Parkinson's disease. Petzinger et al. additionally states that exercise also uses goal-based training and aerobic activity which can improve “both cognitive and automatic
James Parkinson first discovered Parkinson's Disease in 1817. Parkinson's Disease is a common neurologic disorder for the elderly. It is a disorder of the brain characterized by shaking and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination. This disease is associated with damage to a part of the brain that controls muscle movement. Parkinson's Disease is a chronic illness that is still being extensively studied.
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Dementia is an organic brain syndrome which results in global cognitive impairments. Dementia can occur as a result of a variety of neurological diseases. Some of the more well known dementing diseases include Alzheimer's disease (AD), multi-infarct dementia (MID), and Huntington's disease (HD). Throughout this essay the emphasis will be placed on AD (also known as dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and primary degenerative dementia), because statistically it is the most significant dementing disease occurring in over 50% of demented patients (see epidemiology).