Parkinson’s disease
Jose Hernandez
Wharton County Junior College
Abstract
This paper aims to thoroughly describe the chronic progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder, known as Parkinson’s disease. This papers reveals the onset and contributing factors to Parkinson’s disease and how it affects the development of an individual cognitively/ intellectually, emotionally, and socially. Although there is not a cure for Parkinson’s disease, treatment methods for alleviating physical symptoms are shown below. In terms of statistics, this paper contains information in the following areas: male and female ratio, ethnicity ratio, and age ratio.
Description/onset of Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder characterized by a profound and selective loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons (David, Steven, Xiao-Ke, 2009). In other words, different cells degenerate causing many systems to be affected. With Parkinson’s disease, the area that is substantially affected is the Substantia Nigra. Roughly 50% of the neurons that produce dopamine in the Substantia Nigra have degenerated before motor symptoms can occur. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that allows neurons to communicate to produce large/fine body movements. Since neurons are amitotic and Parkinson’s disease targets those cells, this can cause people to slowly lose control of body movement.
Contributing factors
The cause of Parkinson’s disease still remains unknown, however, recent findings show abnormal development in the substantia nigra. Lewy bodies that consist of damaged proteins affect the neurons on the substantia nigra (Sotirios, Rose, Todd, 2013). This may be related to the abnormal gene found in Parkinson’s disease as a result of the damaged and aged proteins inside neurons. Also, certain toxins can cause Parkinson’s disease. External or internal toxins may selectively destroy the dopaminergic neurons, causing...