PARKINSONS

DISEASE
Submitted By:-
Harsha Hasija(11081556)
Monika(11081502)
Shivani(11081538)
Manjula(11081520)
B.Tech ,Biotech(3rdyear)
Parkinsons Diseases

Parkinsons Disease is a
progressive,neurodegenerative,movement
disorder.Progressive means parkinsons disease
gets worse over time.
Neurodegenerative means it is caused by the
degeneration of nerve cells in the brain.
Movement disorder it is the most prominent
symptom of parkinsons disease which affect the
movement,although many other symptoms may
also occur,some of which can be even more
disabling than the movement symptoms.
Movement Symptoms of
Parkinsons Disease Include:-
a)Tremor:- Means trembling in the
hands,arms,legs,jaws and face.

b)Rigidity:-Means stiffness of the limbs and trunk.

c)Bradykinesia:- Means slowness of movement.

d)Akinesia:-Means difficulty in initiating movement.

e)Postural Instability:-Means impaired balance.
Other symptoms are:-

a)Depression
b)Anxiety
c)Difficulty in swallowing and chewing
d)Speech changes
e)Urinary problems or constipation
f)Excessive sweating
g)Sleeping problems
h)Very oily or very dry skin
i)Dementia (impaired thinking)
Clinical features of PD
Three cardinal symptoms:
resting tremor

bradykinesia(generalized slowness of
movements)

Muscle rigidity

Who gets Parkinsons Disease?
Parkinsons Disease affects both male and
female.The average age of onset of this disease
is 61,but it may begin as early as age 40 or even
before.The number of people in the US with
Parkinsons disease is estimated to be between
5,00000 and 1 million.
The disease progresses at different rates in
different people.Parkinsons disease reduces life
expectancy by an average of 3 to 9
years.Parkinsons disease is now the 14
th
leading
cause of death in the US.
What Causes Parkinsons
Disease?
The neurons that degenerate in Parkinsons disease located
in several areas of the brain but most significant is the
loss of dopamine producing neurons.The dopamine
produced by these neurons is crucial for another brain
region, called the striatum.Under the influence of
dopamine ,signals from the striatum regulate all form of
voluntary movements.The loss of dopamine in this
disease accounts for most of the movement related
symptoms of the disease.
Dopamine neurons die over the course of many years.This
disease symptoms begin when the loss of dopamine
reaches a critical point,typically when 50 to 80% of
dopamine neurons have died.
But today scientists have accepted that
there is no single cause that triggers the
disease.Instead , parkinsons disease likely
results from a confluence of inherited in
complex ways to set diseases processes in
motion.A small percentage of cases are
hereditary in the classic sense that,if one
or both parents have it,children are at
higher risk.
Dopamine Synthesis
How is Parkinsons Disease
Treated?
1.Diagnostic Tests:-
Unfortunately,there is no diagnostic test that can confirm Parkinsons
Disease.Laboratory testing of the blood of patients with the
symptoms typical of Parkinsons only rarely uncovers any
abnormality.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) record some aspects of brain electrical
activity,but they are not effecting in spotting Parkinsons.

But,various treatments are available for the symptoms ofPD.The most
effective treatment is levodopa,which makes up for lost
dopamine.Brain surgery is also option later in the course of PD.
Unfortunately,all of these treatments become less
effective as the disease progress.None of the
currently available treatment can halt or even
slow the loss of neurons in PD.
2.Embryonic Stem Cell (ESC) As treatment For
Parkinsons:-
Embryonic stem cells have potentials to provide
large quantity of dopamine neurons with better
quality control.
Techniques are being developed where ES cells
are grown and differentiate in to dopamine
neurons and their supportive cells.
Mechanism of Action :-
Because Parkinsonism results from insufficient dopamine in
specific regions of the brain,attempts have been made to
replenish the dopamine deficiency.Dopamine itself
doesnt cross the blood-brain barrier,but it is immediate
precursor ,levodopa is actively transported in to the CNS
and is converted to dopamine in the brain.Large doses of
levodopa are req.,because much of the drug is
decarboxylated to dopamine in the periphery,resulting in
side effects that include Nausea,vomiting,hypertension
etc.
Levodopa decreases the rigidity, tremors and other
symptom of PD.
Limitations of Levodopa
Does not prevent the continuous
degeneration of nerve cells in the subtantia
nigra, the treatment being therefore
symptomatic.