Parkinson's Disease Flashcards
Is Parkinson’s Disease (PD) a hypokinetic or hyperkinetic disease?
hypokinetic
what is PD?
idiopathic neurodegenerative condition caused by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra
what are 4 key characteristics of PD? briefly describe each characteristic
1) asymmetrical resting tremor (trying to grab something but hand is shaking)
2) bradykinesia (slow movements)
3) rigidity (stiff)
4) postural instability (don’t have unlocking mechanisms for muscles to relax)
what is parkinsonism?
the clinical syndrome that arises from the degeneration of the basal ganglia
what is the prevalence of PD in people over 65?
1 in 100
which gender is more affected by PD?
men 2: 1 women
what is the first step of synaptic transmission?
AP produced via depolarization of neuronal membrane due to Na influx through Na Vgated channels
what is the second step of synaptic transmission?
produced AP travels down axon towards pre-synaptic terminal
what is the 3rd step of synaptic transmission?
AP arrives at pre-synaptic terminal and causes Ca channels in plasma membrane to open
What is the 4th step of synaptic transmission?
influx of Ca triggers the exocytosis of vesicles containing neurotransmitter
what is the 5th step of synaptic transmission?
NT enters synaptic cleft and binds to receptors on post-synaptic membrane
what is the 6th step of synaptic transmission?
after binding, the NT is cleaved and taken back up by pre-synaptic terminal where it is recycled and stored in vesicles
What is the first step in dopamine synthesis?
tyrosine is taken up from the blood into the brain’s extracellular fluid then into dopaminergic substantia nigra neurons via specific enzyme transporters
what is the second step in dopamine synthesis?
tyr hydroxylated to form L-DOPA (dopamine precursor)
what is the 3rd step in dopamine synthesis?
L-DOPA is decarboxylated to form dopamine
what is the function of the basal ganglia?
controls complex movements and has a part in motor learning
where is the basal ganglia located?
base of the forebrain
what are 4 components of the basal ganglia?
substantia nigra
striatum
pallidum (not important)
subthalamic nucleus
what are 3 roles of the substantia nigra?
reward
addiction
movement
what is the striatum composed of?
putamen neurons
what kind of receptors are found on putamen neurons?
D1 and D2 receptors
what is the function of the striatum?
major input site of the basal ganglia system
what is the ventrolateral thalamus (VLT)?
integration centre for basal-ganglionic and cerebellar impulses
what is the function of the VLT?
initiates body movements sends impulses (received from putamen neurons) to the motor cortex to allow movement
What is the dopamine pathway responsible for? (5pts)
reward (motivation) pleasure, euphoria motor function (fine tuning) compulsion perseveration
what is the serotonin pathway responsible for? (5pts)
mood memory processing sleep cognition
what are the 3 major NTs involved in PD?
dopamine
Ach
GABA
is dopamine excitatory or inhibitory?
inhibitory
is Ach excitatory or inhibitory?
excitatory
what happens when there’s too much Ach?
over activity of cholinergic neurons and leads to muscle contraction and remain contracted (unable to repolarize)
what happens with Ach when dopaminergic cells are destroyed?
Ach runs unchecked because there is no DA released to compete with it
is GABA excitatory or inhibitory?
inhibitory
how are GABA and DA related?
GABA release is regulated by binding of DA to receptors
what happens to GABA in PD?
release of GABA increases and decreases in incorrect portions of the Nigro-Striatal pathway
what does a DA reduction mean in regards of GABA?
increased GABA leading to partial or full paralysis
what is the general procedure for normal movement?
1) info from different parts of the brain is sent to sub. nigra to stimulate DA synthesis
2) DA is released from sub. nigra where it binds to D1 and D2 receptors on putamen neurons in striatum
3) goes into direct pathway and indirect pathway to cause movement
what receptor is associated with the direct pathway? indirect pathway?
D1 - direct
D2 - indirect
What is the 1st step in the direct pathway?
DA binds to D1 receptor of substance P producing putamen neurons in the striatum
What is the 2nd step in the direct pathway?
DA binding causes an increase in Substance P which causes an increase in GABA levels
what is the third step of the direct pathway?
GABA inhibits the firing of D1 sub P containing putamen neurons
what is the 4th step of the direct pathway?
reduced firing of sub P containing putamen neurons causes a decrease in GABA release, resulting in an increase of activity of the VLT (VLT = less inhibited)