Causes Of Parkinson's Disease

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Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease which primarily affects the presence of dopamine neurons located within the basal ganglia of the midbrain. The systemic motor and neurological symptoms which the disease traditionally shows is due to the decreased activity of the nigrostriatial and dopaminergic pathways when the basal ganglia has lost partial function (McCance & Huether, 2014). In this disease, the primary cause of the degeneration of the basal ganglia is due to the degeneration of the substantia nigra. The substantia nigra is a part of a system called the basal ganglia, which also consists of the caudate nucleus, the putamen, the globus pallidus (internal and external), and the subthalamic nucleus and nucleus …show more content…
Subsequently, this catecholamine is also a neurotransmitter. This specific neurotransmitter has the primary function of assisting in the movement pathways of an individual. In order for ‘normal movements’ to occur’, a steady supply of dopamine must be secreted through the dopamine neurons. However, individuals which have been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder such as Parkinson’s disease will lack the required amount of dopamine which is required for the conduction of this movement pathway. An individual with Parkinson’s disease will be deficient in dopamine levels due to a host of both genetic and epigenetic factors, such as familial association and environmental consequences. There are two types of the disease, primary and secondary Parkinsonism. Primary Parkinson’s disease occurs due to a hereditary or otherwise idiopathic stimuli, whilst secondary Parkinson’s disease is drug induced. An individual suffering from Parkinson disease may encounter a variety of symptoms including a general difficulty in executing muscular skeletal movements, issues with memory and sleep as well as depression (ParkinsonsUK, …show more content…
The PARK1 gene encodes α-synuclein aggregation, which is a precursor for Lewy body formation. Proteosomal function, mitochondrial function and premature apoptosis are induced as a result of α-synuclein being present in high amounts. Oxidative stress placed on the α-synuclein protein causes aggregation and increased toxicity; the resultant increased toxicity causes the subsequent death of dopaminergic neuronal cells. Individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease will display abnormal deficits in dopamine levels (Ogunrombi, 2015). The abnormal deficits displayed in Parkinson’s disease sufferers is attributed to the loss of dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra; the subsequent depletion of the dopamine throughout the nigrostriatial pathway follows (Ogunrombi, 2015). The nigrostriatial pathway is the connection between the substantia nigra and corpus striatum; it describes one of the four major pathways which dopamine travels through to constitute the movement of an individual (ParkinsonsUK,
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