Anti-Parkinson's Drugs & Neuroleptics Flashcards
what are the 4 prinicipal dopaminergic pathways of the brain?
- nigrostriatal
- mesolimbic
- mesocorticol
- tubero-infundubular
what is the nigrostriatal pathway?
substanstia nigra pars compacta –>corpus striatum.
what is the role of the nigrostriatal pathway? which condition is it impacted in?
control of movement (initiating and fine tuning and ending movement control)
impacted in Parkinsons
what is the role of mesolimbic pathway?
which condition is it impacted in?
brain reward pathway
affected in schizophrenia
what is the mesolimbic pathway?
ventral tegmental area (VTA) –> NAcc (ventral striatum)
what is the mesocortical pathway?
VTA–> cortical areas like frontal cortex, limbic cortex
what is the role of the mesocortical pathway?
executive function
what is the tubero-infundibular pathway?
arcuate nucleus–> median eminence–> pituitary gland
arcuate nucleus is in the hypothalamus
used in appetite control via orexinergic pathways
what is the role of the tubero- infundibular pathway?
hormone secretion regulation (endocrine)
e.g prolactin (inhibited by dopamine)
what are the precursors of dopamine?
L-tyrosine to L-DOPA via Tyrosine hydroxylase
L-Dopa to DA via DOPA decarboxylase
what are the 2 families of DA receptors? which are the members?
o D1 family – D1, D5.
o D2 family – D2, D3, D4.
what is the mean age of onset of PD?
65
4:1 males to females
can affect younger people however
what is the main pathogenesis of PD?
degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway (dopaminergic projections) from the substantial niagra to the corpus striatum
what are the 2 main causes of PD?
o Familial cases (8%) geneslead to earlier onset of the disease
- SNCA (alpha synuclein)
- LRRK2
o Idiopathic (92%)
what are the clinical signs of PD?
o Resting tremor (early)
– shaking of the limbs when relaxed (opposite of intention tremor).
o Rigidity (late) – stiffness, limbs feel heavy/weak.
o Bradykinesia
– slowness of movement.
o Postural abnormalities.
features can be unilateral and spread bilaterally
what are the motor symptoms of PD?
o Pill-rolling tremor at rest. o Difficulty with fine movements – micrographia. o No blinking and a blank face. o Monotone speech. o Disorder of posture – flexion of neck and trunk. o Lack of arm swing. Postural hypotension. o Loss of balance – lack of a righting reflex. o Short steps, shuffling gait.
what are the non-motor/autonomic symptoms of PD?
o Depression. o Sleep disturbances. o Taste/smell disturbances. o Dementia. o Constipation. o Postural hypotension. o Urinary urgency. o Impotence and hyper-hydrosis.
what is the main area affected in PD?
Substantia nigra (pars compacta)
loss of neuro-pigment and degeneration
what does the Substantia nigra project into?
Caudate and the Putamen
dorsal striatum
what visible change occurs in the SubNig in PD?
neuro-melanin pigment is lost
what physical change in the brain leads to the motor features of PD?
Substantia nigra degeneration
other: Locus Coeruleus (LC), dorsal vagus nucleus, Nucleus Basalis of Mynert.
what proteins can be found in the brain with PD?
- Lewy Bodies (contain Synuclein and Ubiquitin)
- Neurites
- abnormally phosphorylated neurofilaments (altered proteins)
these are not targeted in therapy
what are the sets of symptoms in PD?
- motor
- non-motor/ autonomic
how does PD progress (pathological changes with stage)?
Synuclein is part of Lewy Bodies (also ubiquitin)
characteristic to Parkinsons
Stages 1 & 2 – Synuclein deposition in the Dorsal motor nucleus of Vagus Raphe Nucleus Locus Coerulus – pre-symptomatic.
Stages 3
– Synuclein deposition in Substantia Nigra – onset of motor deficits.
Stage 4, 5, 6
– deposition in the amygdala and cortical areas e.g. cingulate cortex, frontal, temporal etc
how much damage has been done to neurones before symptoms of PD appear?
damage to at least 80-85% DA neurones and 70% of the striatal DA before symptoms appear
due to the compensatory mechanisms of the body which prevent the appearance of clinical symptoms.