Parkinson's Disease Research Paper

Daniel Cohen
Biol 281 Cohen
06/09/13

Report #1 Define Your Disease:
Parkinson’s Disease

The term “Parkinsonism” refers to any condition involving motor symptoms such as involuntary muscle contraction (i.e. twitching of body parts), muscle tension or stiffness, and slowed movement. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most widespread form of Parkinsonism and the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. Parkinson’s disease is classified as a movement disorder, affecting the central nervous system and causes affected areas of the brain to increasingly worsen with time in terms of function. The disease was named after an English surgeon, geologist, paleontologist, and political activist named James Parkinson who was the first to observe and describe individuals displaying symptoms of the disease. Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 8 to 18 out of every 100,000 people in the United States. Parkinson’s disease affects several regions of the brain, primarily a region known as substantia nigra, which contains high levels of neurons known to generate a chemical called dopamine that is responsible for controlling balance and movement. Dopamine is used by nerve cells to communicate by sending signals to other nerve cells, and plays a number of important roles in the brain and body including muscle movement control, memory, behavior and cognition, and mediating pleasure. Parkinson’s disease occurs when the nerve cells in the substantia nigra begin to slowly deteriorate and become destroyed. Without these motor neurons controlling voluntary muscle activity, the brain is no longer able to properly send messages and communicate with the body, causing loss of muscle function as well as other non-motor symptoms. One of the first and most apparent symptoms of the disease is involuntary trembling or shaking (tremor) typically beginning on one side (usually one hand), but can also occur in legs, arms, feet, and face, and can gradually affect both sides of the body. Other symptoms include stiffness or rigidness of limbs and torso due to excessive muscle contraction, slow movement or inability to move, and impaired balance and coordination. Aside from motor symptoms, Parkinson’s can also cause cognitive symptoms such as confusion, memory loss, depression, dementia, anxiety, and hallucination. All symptoms

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