Parkinsons Disease - the chances of a trembling body Essay -- Biology

Parkinsons Disease - the chances of a trembling bodyI have been closely following the news in the past months and I have noted a continuum in the coverage of the medical condition of one person who for many symbolizes the virtues of man, has been associated with the liberation of the minds of people nether the communist era, has firmly supported the foundations of the Catholic faith and has been inspiration for many - the current Pope John Paul II. The newspaper photos of his almost expressionless flavour and the constant trembling hand which have started hindering his public activities and my deep respect to the his achievements made me look into the roots of the Parkinsons disease and its effects on behavior.Parkinsons disease, or the shaking palsy as first defined by Dr.Parkinson in the early 19th century, is defined as a distemper of the central nervous system, affecting about 2% of the worlds population. It is more common among older people and there is a higher percentage of men moved(p) by it. (1)Cells in the part of the brain that see movement are lost, causing sometimes severe difficulty in performing movements with a varying intensity depending on the individual cases(2) The widely recognized symptoms include muscular rigidity, resting tremors, bradykinesia, inconsistency of posture, dementia. All of these symptoms directly or indirectly affect the patients behavior. The symptoms only turn out after the death of 80% of the cells which produce dopamine. (4) The loss of dopamine causes the nerve cells of the basal ganglia to fire out of control, leaving patients unable to direct or control their movements in a normal manner. Thus, the early diagnosis is very hard, especially in the sporadic cases. Early symp... ...ynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web2/www.parkinsoninfor.com 4) BBC Health News. , BBC News Agency with certain articles on current researchhttp//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/317413.stm 5) Research News.http//serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neu ro02/web2/www.nhgri.nih.gov/DIR/LGDR/PARK/media_rel.html 6) Molecules of the Mind Dreaming of Parkinsons. , interesting articlehttp//serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web2/www.medinfosource.com/mb/mb980212.html 7) The Parkinsons Institute http//serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web2/www.parkinsoninstitute.org/movement_disorders/parkinsons.html8) An vigorous Web Resource for Parkinsons Disease Information http//cgi.sapien.net/cgi-bin/parkinsonweb/news9) An Online Support Group for Patientshttp//serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web2/www.parkinson.org/denyingparkinson.htm