What kind of disease is 'Parkinson's disease' that causes hand tremors and walking disorders?
Understanding Parkinson's disease - YouTube
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease.
The most noticeable symptoms include slowness of movement, muscle stiffness, and resting tremors.
Other symptoms include depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, sleep disturbances, loss of smell, bladder and gastrointestinal dysfunction, and cardiovascular problems, some of which may appear before the movement disorder.
Parkinson's disease affects many areas of the nervous system and various types of nerve cells, but one area that has received particular attention is the effect on nerve cells in
The substantia nigra pars compacta forms part of a brain pathway important for facilitating movement, and it has been shown that in Parkinson's disease, dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra gradually die, causing dysfunction of this pathway and the characteristic movement disorders.
Drugs that replace or mimic
Deep brain stimulation is also sometimes used as a treatment, but no treatment has yet been found that can slow the underlying neurodegeneration.
The hallmark pathology seen in most cases of Parkinson's disease is clumps of misfolded proteins within nerve cells, most notably structures called
The characteristic component of Lewy bodies is a misfolded protein called
Alpha-synuclein forms small repeating units called oligomers or longer fibers.
Increasing evidence suggests that these misfolded proteins are harmful to nerve cells and play an important role in the progression of Parkinson's disease.
Unwanted proteins are usually removed by proteolytic mechanisms such as
However, some evidence suggests that these systems are overwhelmed by too much alpha-synuclein, which may contribute to neuronal death.
Parkinson's disease is also thought to be linked to
Mitochondria produce energy for cells to carry out vital functions, and can fuse or break down into smaller versions depending on energy demands, or they can move to areas of the cell where they are needed most.
However, in people with Parkinson's disease, this process is impaired, preventing mitochondria from maintaining normal function.
Normally, when mitochondria become old or damaged, they are removed and replaced by new ones, but this recycling process is inhibited in the bodies of Parkinson's disease patients.
This is thought to result in the accumulation of damaged mitochondria.
There is also a theory that
When dopamine neurons are lost, a type of glial cell called
This releases
Chemicals released by activated microglia and astrocytes have been shown to damage nerve cells.
The mechanisms that drive the progression of Parkinson's disease are still poorly understood. What is clear is that over time, more and more areas of the nervous system become affected.
There is also a theory that the progression of Parkinson's disease is transmitted by alpha-synuclein.
Although the diverse causes of Parkinson's disease make it difficult to fully understand its underlying causes, several potential therapeutic targets have been proposed to slow or halt neurodegeneration.
For example, one possible treatment would be to remove misfolded proteins and block their transmission.
Improving mitochondrial function and reducing inflammation in neuronal cells are also potentially promising treatments.
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