Parkinsons Flashcards
Early non-motor symptoms
constipation
REM sleep behaviour disorder
amnosia (smell)
depression & anxiety
The 3 main symptoms of Parkinsons
bradykinesia (slow movements)
rigidity (more muscle tone)
resting tremour
Other symptoms of Parkinsons (motor, non-motor)
akinesia (difficulty initiating willed movements) shuffling gait postural hypotension depression cognitive deficits as it progresses incontinence dementia (later symptom)
Pathology of Parkinsons
loss of dopaminergic neurones in the substantia nigra and presence of Lewy bodies in the cell
also linked to mitochondrial dysfunction (can’t produce ATP)
Lewy bodies are aggregates of which protein
alpha synuclein
Genes associated
PARK1 (alpha synuclein)
PARK2 (Parkin) - interact with mitochondrial membrane
PARK6 (Pink1) - interact with mitochondrial membrane
PARK8 (LRRK2)
Environmental factors
toxin exposure - pesticides & herbicides, MPTP
head trauma
rural living
infections
Prevalence in the UK
1 in 500 people
In 1% of people over 60
Affects men more than women
Treatment
Medication
Deep brain stimulation (STN neurones become so depolarised they can’t generate an AP; more stimulation of cortex by thalamus)
Physio, occupational therapy
Huntington’s disease symptoms
chorea (spontaneous, uncontrolled movement with rapid irregular flow)
personality changes (cortical degeneration)
dementia (cortical degeneration)
dyskinesia (abnormal movements)
Parkinson’s is characterized by _______. Huntington’s is characterized by ________. Opposite end of the spectrum of basal ganglia disorders.
Parkinson’s - hypokinesia
Huntington’s - hyperkinesia
Pathology of Huntington’s
Loss of neurones in the stiatum, globus pallidus and cortex. Damage to basal ganglia > loss of inhibition of thalamus > disorders of movement
Huntington’s gene & onset
Autosomal dominant, mutation in Huntingtin gene
Onset - late adulthood
