PARKINSONS DISEASESubmitted 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)Depressionb)Anxietyc)Difficulty in swallowing and chewingd)Speech changese)Urinary problems or constipationf)Excessive sweatingg)Sleeping problemsh)Very oily or very dry skini)Dementia (impaired thinking)

Clinical features of PDThree 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 14th 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 LevodopaDoes not prevent the continuous degeneration of nerve cells in the subtantia nigra, the treatment being therefore symptomatic.