Neurological disorders

Question 1

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 1

a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder where there is a loss of dopaminergic cells from the sustina nigra of the basal ganglia.

Question 2

what does the Parkinson’s cause

Answer 2

production of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Question 3

what are the symptoms of Parkinson’s?

Answer 3

tremor
bradykinesia
rigidity leading to reduced movement

Question 4

what is the precise mechanism for Parkinson’s?

Answer 4

remains unclear, but likely to involve genetic and environmental events.

Question 5

what are the mechanisms of Parkinson’s at a cellular level?

Answer 5

abnormalities in: -
- protein management
- oxidative stress
- dysfunction of mitochondria
- factors like inflammatory and immune involvement

Question 6

what are the treatments available?

Answer 6

enhancing the action of dopamine
replacing dopamine pharmacologically can treat movement.

Question 7

what is a limitation to the treatment of enhancing or replacing dopamine?

Answer 7

it is only effective in the early stages. As the disease progresses it gets less and less effective.

Question 8

what similarities can be found when examining neurodegenerative disorders?

Answer 8

they share a similar molecular basis, a change in shape and function of cellular protein.

Question 9

what are the ways the modified protein may be implicated in the neurological disease?

Answer 9

• by direct toxic activity
• by the lack of the biological function of the normally folded protein
• by disordered transport

Question 10

what is neurodegeneration usually a result of?

Answer 10

imbalance between the production and the clearance of the protein