What is Parkinson Disease

Nerve cells in the brain produce a vital chemical known as dopamine. Dopamine is the substance that controls movement. Proper amounts make movements smooth. It is the substance that give us our coordination. When the nerve cells get destroyed or damaged, our movements become jerky and uncontrolled, when a large number of cells are damaged or destroyed, you have Parkinson Disease. Parkinson Disease is progressive. And there will come a time when medication is necessary.

It is hard to determine what causes Parkinson Disease. There is come evidence of heredity playing a roll, but only in a very small percentage of cases. It is generally believed that it is caused by a combination of heredity and environment and head injury is also considered a cause and Parkinson Disease can also be drug induced, but there is no definitive answer as of yet.

There is no cure for Parkinson Disease, but there are medications that can help control the symptoms. The idea is to replace Dopamine or imitate effects of Dopamine and in doing so hopefully reduce the tremor, rigidity and slowness associated with Parkinson disease. In some cases, brain surgery may be considered, but it is so dangerous that it should be considered in only the most extreme cases.

The Parkinson’s Institute is one of the leaders in Parkinson Disease Research. They are currently working on environmental, genetic and age-related risk factors for Parkinson’s disease, treatment with nicotine or nicotinic receptor agonists, and stimulation of endogenous stem cells.