Question

Psychology Chapter 8:

Let's talk movement Parkinson’s

disease is a progressive disorder that affects the dopamine-containing neurons in the substania nigra that control muscle movement. People with Parkinson’s experience trembling, muscle rigidity, difficulty walking and problems with balance. Parkinson’s disease usually develops after age 50 but a small number of younger people are also affected.

Parkinson’s Disease and Aging

The loss of dopamine containing cells in Parkinson’s disease is actually an extreme form of the natural loss of dopamine cells that occurs during normal aging. Debate whether this is an indication that the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are a natural result of growing old or whether these symptoms occur when we get older because of environmental insults. Discuss what type of research studies would be necessary to separate these two ideas.

Answer 1

Aging is a natural phenomenon & with aging our cognitive activities decline or move towards declination. But if we look at the idea of 'Nature & nurture', it also suggests that our environment also plays a crucial role in our development. Mental health like Parkinson's disease occurs mostly with aging but that doesn't mean that everyone who gets older is suffering from Parkinson's disease. It simply means that aging is not only a factor that contributes to the development of Parkinson's disease. There are different research studies that support a healthy lifestyle that can lead to healthy aging & less cognitive deterioration. The environment is a crucial role to play when it comes to any physical & mental health/ disease. If one study about the etiology of Parkinson's disease then one can understand that aging is one of the factors which leads to Parkinson's disease, other than aging other factors are also playing a contributing role in the development of Parkinson's disease like diet, exercise, sleep, education, working area, etc.

Also, intervention therapies are working in the direction of creating a healthy environment for the Parkinson's disease patient to protect them from further deterioration. So, in my opinion Parkinson's disease is not only a product of natural aging but also aging due to environmental insults.

For research studies especially separating these two concepts one can work via nature & nurture concept, correlation study between healthy aging & Parkinson's disease & vice-versa.Neuroimaging factors in healthy aging & unhealthy aging can also be studied in order to understand the difference between the contributing factors.