What is Parkinson's Disease
In Parkinson's disease, for reasons that are
not fully understood, nerve cells in the part of the brain that
produces dopamine, the substantia nigra, begin to decrease in
number. This causes a decrease in the amount of the available
dopamine. Also, the chemical in the synapse that breaks down
the dopamine (MAO-B) continues to deplete what little dopamine
is left. The overall effect is a large loss of dopamine in the
brain. This throws off the normal dopamine/acetylcholine balance,
since the level of acetylcholine remains normal (figure 1).
Figure
1. Imbalance of dopamine
and acetylcholine in Parkinson's disease.
In
Parkinson's disease, there is not enough dopamine to keep
balance with the acetylcholine. The result of this imbalance
is a lack of coordination of your movement that often appears
as tremor, stiff muscles and joints, and/or difficulty moving.
Currently, there is no way to stop the loss of nerve cells
that produce dopamine or to restore those that have already
been lost. However, there are several methods, including drug
therapy, that can help you manage the slow decline in function
that occurs with Parkinson's disease.
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