Jamison Brandon

Human Biology
November 24, 2015
Parkinsons Disease
Parkinsons Disease is a very miserable disease. This disease is diagnosed in
over 60,000 Americans each year and it was last estimated that around 10 million
people worldwide suffer from Parkinsons disease. Although this disease is mainly
diagnosed in people over the age of 60, this disease has large implications for
future generations.
Parkinsons Disease is degenerative brain disease that affects motor and
movement controls. Often times a person with Parkinsons will shake and have
tremors. Other symptoms include the loss of ability to keep posture, slowness of
movement, and at times the loss of ability to relax certain muscles causing rigidity.
A person with Parkinsons brain does not create as much dopamine.
(Symptoms of Parkinson., n.d.) Dopamine is a chemical secreted by neurons that
help send signals to nerve cells. Nerve cells lacking these signals cause the
movement of the individual to be decrease. The cause of Parkinsons has yet to be
determined, although many researchers believe it is linked to genetics and
environmental factors. These have been seen in the LRRK2, PARK2, PARK7, PINKI, or
SNCA genes in the individuals family. It has been researched that 15 percent of
people that have Parkinsons also had a family member that had it. (Parkinsons
disease foundation, n.d.)

Although there are medicines on the market that will help treat some of the
symptoms of Parkinsons, none of them are able to reverse the effects of the
disease entirely. Due to its degenerative nature, Parkinsons damage is hard to
reverse or to even stop once it has been diagnosed. Many forms of treatment
include prescription drugs. The main prescribed medicine is Levodopa, which is
converted into dopamine and helps patients to have better movement. Another
treatment is called deep brain stimulation. This treatment is a surgery that implants
a chip that will help stimulate the brain and in the end helping with motor
movements. Again none of these treatments cure or reverse the effects of
Parkinsons Disease, they only help treat the symptoms and create a better quality
of life for the individual. (Parkinsons disease foundation, n.d.)
Parkinsons Disease is a miserable disease because there is nothing much
that an individual diagnosed with it can do. There are the treatments that help the
patient, and research is continuing to find better treatments or a cure. This disease
is effecting millions of people and will continue to do so until we find a cure.

Bibliography
Parkinsons disease foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved from PDF.org:
http://www.pdf.org/en/causes
Symptoms of Parkinson. (n.d.). Retrieved from Parkinson rockies:
http://www.parkinsonrockies.org/what-is-parkinsons