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Neurobiology of Parkinson's disease
Quizlet parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease pathophysiology essay
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Recommended: Neurobiology of Parkinson's disease
Understanding Parkinson's Disease
Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease
To date, there are no specific diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's Disease. Diagnosis can only be made by an expert examination after the person has already developed symptoms. Biochemical measures can be used such as a screening strategy monitoring the dopamine levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. Otherwise, specifically 6(18F)dopa positron emission tomography can be used for a direct measurement of dopamine activity. Using a computer to assess movement time is another test for Parkinson's disease. To examine the electrophysiological characteristics of tremor and preclinical nigral dysfunction characteristic of Parkinson's EMG (electromyographic recordings) can be used. Finally, a symptomatic screening is often utilized and consists of nine symptom related questions, as well as disease specific and drug specific questions. This provides an indirect functional measure of the nigrostriatal dopamine system.
Facts about Parkinson's Disease
Increasing age strongly increases the risk of Parkinson's disease. Male gender and possibly Caucasian ancestry are associated with more modest increases in risk. The reported prevalence of Parkinson's disease varies widely in international community-based studies; ranging from 31 to 328 per 100,000 people. Whether these differences represent actual differences in the occurrence of disease cannot be easily determined. This is due to the limited number of studies conducted and restricted population samples used. The risk factors of Parkinson's disease are primarily environmental and are not genetically based.
Clinical Features
The main clinical features in Parkinson's Disease include rigidity, bradyki...
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For information regarding Parkinson's Disease: http://www.parkinsonsweb.com/
Percy, A. K. (1999). Inherited neurodegenerative disease: The evolution of our thinking. Journal of Child Neurology, 14(4), 256-62. Retrieved from
There are no tests that are able to undeniably determine whether an individual has Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s will be diagnosed by the individual’s signs and symptoms, their family medical history and from results of tests and exercises. An individual’s diagnosis being confirmed can vary between people.
Many people, like myself, after watching an episode of “The Michael Jay Fox Show,” started to be come curious as to what exactly this disease is. You ask yourself; What is this disease? What causes it? Can it be passed down from generation to generation? Is there a treatment? What would your life be like suffering from this? Through my research on Parkinson’s disease, I am determined to answer these questions. I hope to have a better understanding on this disease, and how it affects the lives of patients that I might see in a hospital.
People who have been diagnosed with this lifelong disease have either started to see the early signs and symptoms or have yet to recognize them. The negative impact that fatigue, loss of muscle strength and in-coordination has on the patients with Parkinson’s disease can be improved with a well-balanced exercise regimen. The three most common physical symptoms the patient will experience are tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia. “Tremors while at rest are the most common initial symptom and are present in around 70 percent of cases at disease onset. It often presents as a pill rolli...
Goldmann, David R., and David A. Horowitz. American College of Physicians Home Medical Guide to Parkinson's Disease. New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000. Print.
With more than 200,000 US cases per year, Parkinson’s disease has become a major part
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.
By the early 1960, another Civil Right movement began, Sit-Ins. Four college students, Ezell Blair, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond walked in to establishments to be served but by the end of the night they were never served. They would later come back with larger group and sit once again. They did so with rules to prevent any trouble from the authorities, just by not talking to anyone, never blocking the entrances and by simply being nice. The movement picked up momentum being done by many throughout the north and south.
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...
Thomas, C. G. (2013, November 25). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Gene-silencing study finds new targets for Parkinson's disease, pp. 1-2. Retrieved December 13, 2013, from http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2013/ninds-24.htm
The fact that early signs of Parkinsonism can easily be overlooked as normal aging, further complicates diagnosis. Therefore, primary care physicians of the middle-aged and elderly population must be extremely sensitive to patients’ outward appearance and changes in movement ability. Most signs and symptoms of Parkinson disease correspond to one of three motor deficiencies: bradykinesia, akinesia, tremor, and rigidity. The first two qualities are usually present before tremor, but often attributed to aging by the patient and even the physician, and thus the disease is rarely diagnosed until tremor becomes evident much later. An average of 80% of the nigrostriatal neurons may have already degenerated by the time Parkinsonism is diagnosed, which complicates treatment (Fitzgerald, 130).
Without this vital dopamine nerve cells cannot properly transmit messages resulting in a loss of muscle function.Parkinson's Disease is a non-communicable disease and doctors have not yet found out whether or not it is a hereditary disease. Parkinson's Disease has many distinct symptoms. The symptoms are:Muscle Rigiditystiffness difficulty bending arms or legsunstable, stooped, or slumped-over posture loss of balancewalking pattern changesslow movements difficulty beginning to walk difficulty initiating any...
The role of a nurse is very important during the medical care of mother and baby with cocaine use. The nursing care considerations include mental health as well as physiological care. Likely all of these pregnancies are unplanned, and about 4% if all pregnancies involved illegal drug use (Mellon, 2014). It is a difficult situation for a medical professional because the nurse needs to address two issues: that the mother has the psychological and physiological needs of an addict, and...
“Over a third of the adult population is overweight or obese” (Carolyn Robbins, Is Eating Fast Food Bad for Your Health). Many fast food meals contain a day worth of recommend calories in one meal. Since fast food has close to over two thousands calories, it’s no surprise that all fingers are pointed to fast food businesses. Individuals eat fast food at least twice a day even when knowing the facts about fast food. Knowing that harmful foods are high in salts and fats mostly everyone will continue to eat the products. Since the blame of obesity as fallen on the fast food industries the restaurants have made alternation to preparing the food to reduce calories. These alternations might seem healthier, but the fact is it is not. These foods contain trans fats from the factors that has prepared them for the fast food restaurants. Fatty acids are already injected into many of the products so alternating the menu to look healthy really doesn’t solve America obesity problem. Obesity is the main focus in America, but it is not t...