Question

Discuss what is Parkinson’s disease including symptoms and prognosis, how it relates to the basic anatomy and physiology of the ANS, and the basis of treatments.

Answer 1

Parkinson's disease

It is a neurodegenerative disorder. There is impaired motor function due to progressive deterioration of dopamine producing cells leading to decreased level of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is an essential neurotransmitter of the body.

Symptoms

• Tremors in hands, arm, legs.
• Stiffness in the limbs, neck, jaw.
• Slow movement
• Bradykinesia
• Gait and balance problems

Anatomy and physiology

Substantia nigra and Corpus striatum are the two brain areas present in basal ganglia of brain which are responsible for the motor functions to occur in smooth and controlled manner. And to perform their functions they have to communicate with each other, in which dopamine helps them acting as chemical messenger. Dopamine is produced by dopamine producing cells present in substantia nigra. The communication gets impaired when the dopamine level is low.

Treatment

There is no permanent cure for Parkinson. Only symptomatic treatment is available. Different type of drugs which are given in its treatment are dopamine agonist, MAO inhibitors etc. Administration of dopamine in the body is not useful as it cannot cross blood brain barrier. Levodopa is an effective drug therapy as it it can cross blood brain barrier and after reaching the brain it gets converted into dopamine. MAO inhibitors prevent the breakdown of dopamine.