Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease is caused by the degeneration of neurones in a part of the brain called the basal ganglia. One of the functions of this part of the brain is the balancing of different chemical messengers which affect the way we move.

In Parkinson's Disease one set of nerves, which use a chemical called dopamine as a transmitter, no longer work properly: the stores of dopamine are depleted. This means that there is reduction in movement - we become stiff and immobile, and there is excessive input from other messengers, such as a chemical called acetylcholine, which produces repetitive trembling of the hands, and increased salivation.

So patients can be both restricted in their movements, with a shuffling walk and tiny handwriting, and have uncontrolled trembling. This is why the disease was also known as paralysis agitans. Why the neurones degenerate is, in most cases, unknown. Treatments aim at increasing the levels of dopamine, or reducing the effects of acetylcholine.
 
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