CMMC Neuroscience Center

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the brain, where certain deep brain cells die, resulting in a deficiency of the brain chemical dopamine. This results in a progressive movement disorder. Patients experience stiffness, slow movements, loss of facial expression, tremor, and difficulty walking. Secondary symptoms include muscle spasm related pain, constipation, drooling and sometimes loss of memory. The disease typically begins in the age range from 60 to 80, and will slowly progress over many years.

Symptoms

• Progressive slowness of movements and stiffness
  
• Loss of facial expression
  
• Tremor, loss of coordination, sometimes stooped posture
  

Treatment Available

• Carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet) is the gold standard of treatment, and this replace brain dopamine levels.
  
• Dopamine agonists are an adjunct agent. There are several medications in this class, and they are usually used in combination with Levodopa.
  Selegiline increases the amount of brain dopamine available.
  
• COMT inhibitors also increase the available dopamine
  
• Anticholinergics will help control tremor and decrease drooling which sometimes occurs
  
• Neuroprotective agents like vitamin E and Coenzyme Q10
  
• Recently, various surgical procedures have been developed to control severe tremor and the late stages of Parkinson's
  

Research

• Ongoing studies to understand the cause of dopamine neuron degeneration
  
• Clinical studies to find neuroprotective drugs
  
• Clinical studies to find new modes of treating the disease
  
• Surgical studies to explore the use of brain neural cell implants
  

Web Site: American Parkinson Disease Association, Inc.