How does the Parkinson’s Disease, affect your body system?

Question

Parkinson’s Disease, affect your body system?
Parkinson’s Disease, affect your body system?
 

Answer 1

In short, Parkinson Disease is a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia. The role of the substantia nigra in producing dopamine normally is to stimulate intentional movement and block inhibition of movement. In other words the substantia nigra helps you to move in the way that your mind intended to. When the substantia nigra neurons are lost then, you have 4 classic symptoms: resting tremors, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability, all of which is a result of your inability to make purposeful movements. 

 

1. Rest tremors, often "pill rolling". The exact cause is still not completely known but one school of thought is that intentional movement involves the repression of the random movements that the body naturally makes and the activation of specific circuits in the nervous system and skeletal system to cause you to move in a directed and purposeful way. When Parkinson destroys that mechanism, then the repression of the natural random movements of the body then becomes de-repressed and thus more prominent. 

 

2. Bradykinesia or slow movement. This is naturally a result of decreased ability of Parkinson patients in initiating purposeful movement. 

 

3. Rigidity - see #2 above. 

 

4. Postural instability arises from #2 and #3 because patients are less able to make quick adjustments in posture to prevent things like falls, stumbles, missteps, etc.