die and others less fortunate continued to live, trapped within their frozen and emotionless bodies. EL causes an inflammation of the brain, targeting the brain stem, which is home to critical motor components like the Basal Ganglia and Substantia Nigra. As it progresses, patients feel rigidity, muscle twitching and tremors similar to Parkinsonism. The current theory on the cause of EL is due to an immune reaction to a streptococcus like bacteria. The film “Awakenings” is a good representation of
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...
the dopamine making process and/or stop it all together. These dopamine producing cells can be found in a grouping of cells called the substantia nigra, which is found in the mesencephalon, also known as the midbrain. What dopamine does is it sends the electrical signals in the brain between the dopamine producing nerve cells from the substantia nigra to the corpus striatum (part of the forebrain). With the right flow of electrical signals between nerve cells, your body will produce smooth muscle
further refined the description of the disease and identified other clinical features of PD (Goetz, Factr, and Weiner, 2002). PD involves the loss of cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine in a part of the brain stem called the substansia nigra, which results in several signs and symptoms (Byrd, Marks, and Starr, 2000). It is manifested clinically by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, hypokinesia, and postural instability. PD is a common disorder, affecting at least 1% of people by age 70 with
Current research on Parkinson’s disease (PD) examines the effects of deteriorating dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra causing modifications in the basal ganglia circuitry1. The prevailing model behind this understanding is the classical model: activation of the direct pathway MSNs stimulates movement while activation of the indirect inhibits4. The idea is that motor deficits observed in PD are caused by an underactive direct pathway and an overactive indirect pathway. This research examined
The participation in leisure activities, such as dance, is related with a reduced risk of development of dementia, both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (Verghese et al., 2003). Dementia is “a general term that describes a group of symptoms-such as loss of memory, judgment, language, complex motor skills, and other intellectual function-caused by the permanent damage or death of the brain's nerve cells, or neurons” (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America [AFA], 2015, para 1). Alzheimer’s disease
Throughout history, treatments for Parkinson's disease have been informed by the technology available at the time. Ablation was widespread until medicines that provided superior effectiveness were discovered. Deep brain stimulation -not a new technology when it came into use as a PD treatment in the 1990s, but one whose potential had not been realized -provided further improvements, allowing for treatment when medications ceased to work. Deep brain stimulation allowed for a very powerful tool in
Parkinson’s disease patients effect on motor learning Parkinsons disease Learning is defined as, a change in the capability of a person to perform a skill that must be inferred from a relatively permanent improvement in performance as a result of practice of experience (Magill 247). For healthy people to learn a skill, they must show improvement, consistency, stability, persistence, and adaptability. However, for patients with Parkinsons Disease, it is not as simple. Bradykinesia, the slowed ability
Parkinson Disease There exists a group of people who live the final years of their lives in glass boxes. They are perfectly capable of seeing outside, but incapable of reaching out to the world around them. Their emotions can not be shown through facial expression, and as their condition continues, speech also becomes difficult or even impossible. These people are men and women of all races and geographical areas, constituting one percent of the world’s population over 50 years old. Parkinson
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is a phrase that has been uttered numerous times to children by their parents. This aphorism has been used to not only apply to books but also people. In The Black Walnut Tree by Mary Oliver, the speaker faces a conflict between the literal and figurative meaning of a tree in her yard. In the beginning of the poem, the mother and daughter “debate” selling the tree to “pay off their mortgage.” But with a shift from literal language to figurative language comes
The current generation of children is completely different than the preceding ones. They are living in the digital age. “Technology has blended in with daily activity to become a way of life and children today take for granted all of which is automated. It is hard for kids nowadays to imagine a world that existed without all of the gadgets, electronics and seamless operations that computer technology provides.” (3) “Children in the United States devote some 40 hours a week to television, video games
Bradykinesia Perception is an intangible part of every being. It cannot be explained, defined, or nailed down the way that most scientists would like. In some ways, perception can be taught-a person's circumstance and background would cause him or her to perceive a situation in a particular way. In other ways, perception is unpredictable and ever changing. Even here, attempting to describe the indescribable, there are flaws in the last two sentences because they are based on the writer's perceptions
Loving our Elders: Food, Medicine and Myth from the Elder Tree. By Jolie Elan (Laura I think this first paragraph can go in a side bar with a picture of the plant otherwise it can be the first paragraph - your choice) Blue Elderberry (Sambucus nigra subspecies caerulea) is a tall shrub with beautiful lacy clusters of tiny white flowers that look like snowflakes. This fascinating medicinal and edible wild plant grows in North America, Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. In California, the
Native Dye Plants of the United States The first to use native dye plants in the United States were the Native Americans. Their culture was totally dependent on what the land produced. This is reflected in the wealth of information Native Americans possessed about useful plants, from medicinal to ceremonial and dye plants. This is reflected in the types of houses they built and the names of places (often after the plants that grew there). Early European colonists foolishly ignored the wisdom of