Parkinsons Disease Essay -- Disorders Illnesses Papers

Parkinson's Disease In 1817, James Parkinson published his famous treatise: "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy," describing the symptoms which now collectively bear his name. Although many scientists before his time had described various aspects of motor dysfunction (ataxia, paralysis, tremor) Parkinson was the first to collect them into a common syndrome; one which he believed formed a distinctive condition. His sixty-six page essay contained five chapters describing symptoms, differential diagnoses, causality, possible treatments, and prospects for future study. What is most intriguing concerning Parkinson’s analysis (besides its consistent accuracy) is the fact that his clinical observations and inferences were made by watching the movements of six elderly males at a distance along the streets of London. The symptoms seen in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) are of two distinct types: (1) a degeneration of normal actions and movements coupled with; (2) the appearance of abnormal-type behaviors. Positive symptoms are those behaviors not usually seen in normal people; since they occur often in patients with PD, they are thought to be mechanistically inhibited by normal physiological systems. However, when these systems degenerate or become damaged, they are released and abnormal behavior is the result. The main abnormalities seen in Parkinsonian patients are resting tremor, muscular rigidity, and anesthesia. Resting tremors occur while the patient is motionless; the symptoms disappear during activity or when the patient is asleep. They most often encompass alternating movements of the limbs, hands and head; for instance, one diagnostic tremor known as "pill-rolling," consists of repetitive rolling motions of the forefinger past the... ... neurotoxin, 1-methyl--1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridine. Life Science, 1985, 36:2503-2508. Neurochemistry. 1986, 46: 1501-1507. 8. Schapira, A. H. V. et. al. Mitochondrial complex I deficiency in Parkinson’s disease. J. of Neurochemistry. 1990, 54: 823-827. 9. Wachtel, H. Antiparkinsonian dopamine agonists: a review of the pharmacokinetics and neuropharmacology in animals and humans. J. of Neural Transmission. 1991, 3: 151-201. 10. Mercuri, N. B. et. al. Physiology and pharmacology of dopamine D2-receptors: their implications in dopamine--substitute therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Neurology. 1989, 39:1106-1108. 11. Riederer, P. Konradi, C. Youdim, M. B. H. The role of MAO in dopaminergic transmission. pp. 149-153. In: M. B. Streifler, ed. Advances in Neurology, Vol. 53: Parkinson’s Disease: Anatomy, Pathology, and Therapy. New York, Raven Press, 1990. Parkinson's Disease Essay -- Disorders Illnesses Papers Parkinson's Disease In 1817, James Parkinson published his famous treatise: "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy," describing the symptoms which now collectively bear his name. Although many scientists before his time had described various aspects of motor dysfunction (ataxia, paralysis, tremor) Parkinson was the first to collect them into a common syndrome; one which he believed formed a distinctive condition. His sixty-six page essay contained five chapters describing symptoms, differential diagnoses, causality, possible treatments, and prospects for future study. What is most intriguing concerning Parkinson’s analysis (besides its consistent accuracy) is the fact that his clinical observations and inferences were made by watching the movements of six elderly males at a distance along the streets of London. The symptoms seen in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) are of two distinct types: (1) a degeneration of normal actions and movements coupled with; (2) the appearance of abnormal-type behaviors. Positive symptoms are those behaviors not usually seen in normal people; since they occur often in patients with PD, they are thought to be mechanistically inhibited by normal physiological systems. However, when these systems degenerate or become damaged, they are released and abnormal behavior is the result. The main abnormalities seen in Parkinsonian patients are resting tremor, muscular rigidity, and anesthesia. Resting tremors occur while the patient is motionless; the symptoms disappear during activity or when the patient is asleep. They most often encompass alternating movements of the limbs, hands and head; for instance, one diagnostic tremor known as "pill-rolling," consists of repetitive rolling motions of the forefinger past the... ... neurotoxin, 1-methyl--1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridine. Life Science, 1985, 36:2503-2508. Neurochemistry. 1986, 46: 1501-1507. 8. Schapira, A. H. V. et. al. Mitochondrial complex I deficiency in Parkinson’s disease. J. of Neurochemistry. 1990, 54: 823-827. 9. Wachtel, H. Antiparkinsonian dopamine agonists: a review of the pharmacokinetics and neuropharmacology in animals and humans. J. of Neural Transmission. 1991, 3: 151-201. 10. Mercuri, N. B. et. al. Physiology and pharmacology of dopamine D2-receptors: their implications in dopamine--substitute therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Neurology. 1989, 39:1106-1108. 11. Riederer, P. Konradi, C. Youdim, M. B. H. The role of MAO in dopaminergic transmission. pp. 149-153. In: M. B. Streifler, ed. Advances in Neurology, Vol. 53: Parkinson’s Disease: Anatomy, Pathology, and Therapy. New York, Raven Press, 1990.