Biopsychology Parkinson disease

Question 1

Statement on treatment for pd and ad

Answer 1

There is currently no treatment for pd or ad because it is hard to regenerate new neuroma that have been damaged or undergone degeneration in the CNS

Question 2

2 main degenerative diseases and 4 mains facts about each of them

Answer 2

Pd -

• Occurs in 1:500 people
• The second most common
• neurodegnerative disease
• motor dysfunctions=motor tremors and non motor dysnfucton including cognitive and emotional problems

Ad

• they most common affecting 5%of the population
• affect 1:6 people over age 80
• memory failure
• non memory dysfunction including poor spatial navigation skills

Question 3

Stamens specifically about Ad

Answer 3

Often people are diagnosed with ad over age of 65 and increases the likelihood of developing it with increasing age, and the social economic problem of increasing population due to increasing age means ad is increasing

Question 4

What are the 3 mains causes for pd

Answer 4

• Idiopathic - random but the most common
• Genetics <5% of the population genome wide studies identified, mutated genes genes make individuals vulnerable
• drug induced- drug induced Parkinsonism result of antipsychotics exposure

Question 5

Statement on pd post mortem brain

Answer 5

When you study the brain of those with pd in post mortem there are many different structural changes compared to control and don’t know if due to pd or the changes caused pd ?

Question 6

5 random fun facts about Pd

Answer 6

• occurs in people over age 50 when diagnosed
• occurs in 1/20 under age 40 result of strong gene component for diagnosed
• motor and non motor dysfunction are suffered
• biological and genetic influences play a part in pd and environment also does like exposure to toxins and pesticides or infection
• though also some environmental factors help with pd like alcohol and smoking though not sure how and though does affect other health aspects

Question 7

Motor characteristics of pd

Answer 7

• motor tremors
• rigid movement
• bradykinesia and hypokinesia -slowness or absent of movement
• Unilateral at first and then bilateral
• facial expression affected - this is early symptom of motor dysfunction and first sign for motor dysfunction

Question 8

Non motor dysfunction in pd

Answer 8

• emotional changes e.g depression and emotions are slow and less pronounced
• cognise changes e.g sleep deficit

Both motor and non motor dysfunction are a result of slowing of the brain

Question 9

Statement on areas of the brain and pd

Answer 9

Pd highlights this idea that different areas control different functions hence when progresses different dysfunction occur according to the associated area damaged first start of degeneration in motor area and then spread to emotional and cognitive areas

All which is dependent on dopamine!!!!

Question 10

Where does degeneration in do occur

Answer 10

Degeneration occurs in the basal ganglia in the Snpc- substantia nigra pars compacta

• area involved with dopamine neurones and production of these dopamine neurotransmitter and released to target receptor
• evidence from drugs mptp shows importance of dopamine
• basal ganglia is involved in motor function

Question 11

Statement on diagnosis early

Answer 11

Evidence shows behavioural changes does not show untill approx 80% of dopamine neutrons died

Question 12

What’s the benefits of having early diagnosis for pd ?

Answer 12

• effective treatment given earlier on
• save remaining dopamine neurons
• prevent any further decrease in dopamine neurons

But only problem is the majority of time 80 % of neurons already lost before diagnosis and symptoms appear for diagnosis so hard to make an early one that is effective

Question 13

How can u potentially help with early diagnosis ?

Answer 13

By looking at markers that predict pd

• detect dopamine transporter activity midlife of adults via brain imaging
• see if different to normal brain transporter
• seems to be an early dysfunction in transporter and transmission for those with pd
• track it by radioactive domaine taken up by transporter labelled

Question 14

How else can u make early diagnosis that non motor

Answer 14

By looking at non motor dysfunction like cognitive and emotional problem like depression or sleep deficit

-but often people who show these symptoms do not have pd so hard to tell and predict the outcome from these symptoms

Question 15

what other areas are affected by degeneration in pd other than dopamine neurons I’m SNPc ?

Answer 15

• other neurotransmitter like noradrenaline and serotonin

- other areas like the basal nucleus of Mayberry for cholinergic transmission

Question 16

What is the problem with just focusing on dopamine treatments only

Answer 16

May explain why no successful treatment because other area and neurotransmitter that are degenerated not just dopamine

-suggested that non dopamine changes is responsible for non motor dysfunction

Question 17

What are the 3 treatments for pd and explain

Answer 17

• drug treatment levodopa
  Dopamine is rapidly metabolised by enzymes and hard pass bbb
  Seems to be improving symptoms but very st
  Levodopa is naturally occurring in the body

So tried to develop other drugs agonist to increase dopamine lt or antagonist and inhibitors to prevent the breakdown on dopamine

-cell transplantation
Stem cell and progenitor cells help differentiate
Not effective potentially because neuron not connect in right neuron on right place and have same function

-deep brain stimulation
Drugs gave gaberergic to inhibit the basal ganglia to alowndown degeneration

Question 18

Fun facts about pd (9)

Answer 18

Diagnosis from the dysfunction in motor control

Initially tremors of starts of in hand and progresses

Reduction in facial expression first sign of non
motor dysfunction

sign are unilateral

Balance of symptoms and rate varies for individuals suggesting must be subtypes

DopMine therapy proved if increase dopamine you improve symptoms

Progressive cognitive decline includes dementia