Essay About National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Parkinson’S Disease

Reason for Pause
Join now to read essay Reason for Pause
Reason For Pause
One night while watching television he first noticed it. His hand was trembling. He didn’t think
too much about it. He hadn’t been ill. Other than the usual slowing down a bit for any man of
seventy-four he was generally good health. Gradually; however, over the next few weeks, both
hands had started a shaking he couldn’t control. Also, he wasn’t sleeping as well, and felt stiff and
awkward in all of his muscles. Finally, it was the spilling of his coffee all over himself, and tripping
over his own feet that sent him to the doctor for some investigation. His family practice doctor
suspected Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is usually diagnosed by a neurologist who can evaluate symptoms and their
severity for their is no test that can clearly identify the disease. Parkinson’s is a disease of the
central nervous system that primarily occurs in older adults and is slightly more common in men
that in women.
Its cause is usually unknown. What is known is that is results from degeneration of nerve cells or
neurons in region of the brain, the cerebellum, that controls voluntary muscle movement and
posture. This degeneration creates a shortage of the brain signaling chemical or neurotransmitter
known as dopamine. In 1817, a London physician named James Parkinson was the first to publish
a description of this disease; however, it probably existed for many thousands of years. Its
symptoms and potential therapies were a part of India’s system of medicine as early as 5000 B.C. ,
and in the first Chinese medical text appearing 2500 years ago.
Today, in the United States, about a million are believed to be afflicted, with about 50,000 new
cases having been reported every year. As this disorder usually strikes people in their seventies and
eighties, and the average age of the population increases over the next several decades, these figures
are expected to grow significantly.
Today there are many theories about causes of Parkinson’s disease. Until recently the prevailing
theory was held that one or more environmental factors, such as toxins that twist the body’s
mechanism for breaking down protein was a cause. Others say that an infection, such as a virus
might alter the body’s normal cell mechanisms that would then lead to the accumulation of debris
that clogs brain cells, eventually becoming severely disabling and ultimately deadly to these cells.
Recently, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institute of
Health reported strong evidence of a particular gene on chromosome 4 that can lead to Parkinson’s.
This genetic link is where much research is now being done, not only for Parkinson’s disease but
additionally for other common brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Microscopically, brain structures called Lewy bodies, which can only be seen during an autopsy,
are classically regarded as the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. Otherwise, this disease is
characterized by tremors of a limb, often beginning on only one side of the body; as well as other
common symptoms. People with Parkinson’s show reduced facial expression and speak in a soft
voice. There may be other