What is Parkinson's disease?

A post by Adekunte Damilola 

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive disease that involves a part of the brain called the substantia nigra. The substantia nigra is a part of the brain that produces dopamine. This neurotransmitter is involved in the regulation of muscle movements, and also the reward and pleasure centres of the brain. A decrease in dopamine in this region would lead to reduced communication between pathways in the brain, leading to a decrease in movement, and the associated symptoms with Parkinson's. 

SYMPTOMS

Note that the symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease and a lot of neurological diseases are different for each person. The most common ones include tremors, slowed movement (bradykinesia), rigid muscles. A lot of other symptoms include; Anosmia, Anxiety, Constipation, Depression, Fatigue, Festination of speech, changes in sense of smell. Parkinson's interfere with the simplest tasks in the affected person's life making it difficult to live a normal life. 

These symptoms are typically noticed in older generations on an average of 50 years, but it can also be noticed in youths as young as 20 years or older. This is termed Young-Onset Parkinson's disease. 

Recognizing these symptoms in their early stages reduces the progression of this disease and also helps management. Sadly, treatment of this disease is not possible so effectiveness in prevention programs would help manage the symptoms associated with this neurological disorder.

DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosing Parkinson's disease takes a long while due to the similarity of its symptoms with other neurological diseases. A patient could experience memory loss as a symptom but this also correlates with Alzheimer's. It would require several trips to the doctor and also several scans and blood tests to properly identify the underlying condition with the disorder. These scans which include CT scans, MRI scans amongst a few others help to narrow down the associated illness with the symptoms. 

Below is a video by Doctor Adekunte Damilola who has taken time to connect with a research student to talk about Parkinson's disease in great detail.

PREVENTION

• Adopting a healthy lifestyle
• Eating organic foods
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid exposure to toxins such as pesticides or herbicides. If at all exposure would be needed, dress appropriately in order to avoid inhalation of the chemicals and also avoid contact with the skin.
• Use of medications once neurological signs are noticed
• Avoid stress in all possible ways

LINK BETWEEN PARKINSON'S AND DEPRESSION

Parkinsons disease has the most association with depression compared to other neurological disorders. This stems from the affected neurotransmitter up until the overlapping of symptoms between both depression and Parkinson's. An example would be sleep disorders and slowness; individuals with this disorder tend to have difficulty sleeping and also slowness in movement which is also linked to depression. Individuals affected with this disorder are known to express less emotion on their faces due to the effect of the diseases on the facial muscles, this is often called facial masking. The overlap between depression and Parkinson's makes it difficult for these persons to acknowledge the presence of Parkinson's due to the inability to properly distinguish between the symptoms.  

Below is a video by a research student Comfort who delves into the link between Parkinson's disease and depression. Comfort has also taken the time to talk to university students to discuss the stigma behind depression and what can be done to properly approach it in our society. 

How to help

Having a neurological disorder affects every aspect of the human mind, making it almost impossible to live a proper life. A good way to help affected persons would be to volunteer hours to spread awareness about the possibilities of developing this disease. 

Listed below are contact numbers of organizations equipped to help with the management and treatment of this disorder.

• Judson's Foundation - 216 532 1347
• Parkinson's foundation - 1800 473 4636
• Parkinson's disease foundation - 212 923 4700
• Michael J. Fox Foundation - 1800 708 7644

Avoid stress at all costs and live a healthy lifestyle to avoid the risks of developing chronic diseases.

NOTE: Information on this blog can not be substituted in place of medical advice from a medical practitioner. Information here is mainly for research and knowledge purposes. If you have any symptoms listed above, please do reach out to your family doctor for proper diagnoses.

Links to learn more about Parkinson's disease;

1. https://www.parkinson.org/Understanding-Parkinsons/Symptoms/Non-Movement-Symptoms/Depression
2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323396#causes
3. https://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/default.htm
4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20376055
5. https://www.michaeljfox.org/parkinsons-101
6. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/parkinsons-disease/parkinsons-disease-risk-factors-and-causes

References

1. Rewar, S. (2015). A systematic review on Parkinson's disease (PD). Indian Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Biotechnology, 176-185. doi:SSN: 2321-5674(Print); 2320 – 3471(Online)

2. Borod, J. (2008). Depression in Parkinson’s disease: Health risks, etiology, and treatment options. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 81. doi:10.2147/ndt.s1453

3. Simmons, A. D. (2012). Parkinson Disease. Integrative Medicine. doi:10.1016/b978-1-4377-1793-8.00013-3

4. Rizek, P., Kumar, N., & Jog, M. S. (2016). An update on the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson disease. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 188(16), 1157-1165. doi:10.1503/cmaj.151179

5. Breckenridge, C. B., Berry, C., Chang, E. T., Sielken, R. L., & Mandel, J. S. (2016). Association between Parkinson’s Disease and Cigarette Smoking, Rural Living, Well-Water Consumption, Farming and Pesticide Use: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Plos One, 11(4). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151841

6. Kanter, J. W., Busch, A. M., Weeks, C. E., & Landes, S. J. (2008). The nature of clinical depression: Symptoms, syndromes, and behavior analysis. The Behavior Analyst, 31(1), 1-21. doi:10.1007/bf03392158

7. Publishing, H. (n.d.). What causes depression? Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression