Parkinson’s Disease research by Arjuna

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects one in 100 people over age 60. While the average age is 60, people have been diagnosed as young as 18.

There is not really a test to diagnose Parkinson’s, so the number of people with the disease varies. About one million people in the United States and more than five million worldwide, have Parkinson's.

Parkinson's disease was first characterized by an English doctor, James Parkinson, in 1817. Today, we understand Parkinson's to be a disorder of the central nervous system that results from the loss of cells in various parts of the brain, including a region called the substantia nigra. The substantia nigra cells produce dopamine, a chemical messenger responsible for transmitting signals within the brain that allow for coordination of movement. Loss of dopamine causes neurons to fire without normal control, leaving patients less able to direct or control their movement.

What Causes Parkinson’s?

Nobody knows yet what causes Parkinson’s disease (PD) to develop in most people.

Experts have identified aging as an important factor that contributes to Parkinson’s in some individuals.

There are some families who share a gene that leads to Parkinson’s, but this is a small percentage of people with the disease. Scientists believe that for most people, the cause is probably a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Genetic Factors

Scientists have identified 13 genes that are associated with Parkinson’s and can cause the disease in a small number of families. In these families, genes involve proteins that play a role in dopamine cell functions.

Environmental Factors

Some scientists think that Parkinson's disease may result from exposure to an environmental toxin or injury.

Rural living, well water and exposure to pesticides are factors that may be linked to Parkinson’s.

Additionally, a synthetic narcotic agent called MPTP can cause immediate and permanent Parkinsonism if injected. It is a neurotoxin that causes permanent symptoms of Parkinson's disease by destroying dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain. Scientists did studies with animals. The chemical structure of MPTP is very much like the widely used herbicide paraquat and damages cells in a way similar to the pesticide rotenone.

Paraquat is a highly toxic weed killer once promoted by the United States for use in Mexico to destroy marijuana plants. Research found that this herbicide was dangerous to workers who applied it to the plants.

Rotenone is an odorless chemical that is used as an insecticide and pesticide.

What range of symptoms are part of Parkinson's disease?
Symptoms are resting tremor, slowness of movement, postural instability (balance problems) and rigidity.

Some other physical symptoms such as gait problems and reduced facial expression are also of note. These are due to the same discoordination of movement that causes the better-known tremor and slowness.

Other symptoms are mild memory difficulties to dementia, and mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

 Also common are sleep difficulties, loss of sense of smell, constipation, speech and swallowing problems, unexplained pains, drooling, constipation, and low blood pressure when standing.

Parkinson's symptoms are differently in each patient.

How is Parkinson’s Disease treated?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease. Therapy is used treat the symptoms that are most bothersome to the patient.

Besides medication treatment, there are the following therapies:

• physical therapy,
• support groups,
• occupational therapy
• speech therapy.

Physical and Occupational Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

The symptoms of Parkinson's disease may cause the person to move more slowly. They can also feel tightness, pain, and weakness, especially in the muscles and joints.

Physical therapy cannot cure Parkinson's disease, because the neurological damage cannot be reversed. But therapy can bring some change.

A physical therapist can teach the patients certain exercises to strengthen and loosen muscles and they can be performed at home. The goal of physical therapy is to improve the independence and quality of life by improving movement and function and relieving pain.

Physical therapy can help with:

• Balance problems
• Lack of coordination
• Fatigue
• Pain
• Gait
• Immobility
• Weakness

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy can help people with Parkinson's disease stay active in their daily life. By improving the patient’s skills, showing them different ways to complete tasks, or introducing them to handy equipment.

The therapists work in the following areas with the patient:

• Arm and hand therapy
• Handwriting aids
• Home modification information
• Driver evaluation and vehicle modification information
• Cooking and homemaking adaptations
• Eating and dinnerware adaptations
• Ways to make the most of your energy
• Computer modifications
• Workplace or work equipment modifications
• Leisure skill development
• Manual or electric wheelchair use
• Bathtub and toilet equipment use
• Dressing and grooming aids

Therapeutic Cloning:

Some doctors think that a technique called therapeutic cloning could be the best treatment for people with Parkinson’s Disease. It is a method of getting embryonic stem cell that are a match to the patient. It is a very complicated process, but has been already used successfully with animals. The scientist would take a human egg and remove the nucleus, which is where all the chemical DNA information is found. Into this egg, the scientist would insert the DNA information from the sick person (maybe from a skin cell). The egg can divide and grow and would be the perfect DNA match to the patient. The stem cell could be directed to grow into dopamine-producing nerve cells, called neurons. The cells could be transplanted into the correct part of the patient’s brain.