Parkinson’s Flashcards
(10 cards)
1
Q
What is the leading factor of parkinson’s?
A
Age
2
Q
What are the 4 main symptoms of Parkinson’s?
A
Trembling
Stiffness
Slowness
Impaired balance/coordination
3
Q
What is bradykinesia?
A
Slowness of movement
4
Q
What is the main brain region affected by Parkinson’s?
A
The basal ganglia
5
Q
What does the basal ganglia do?
A
Chooses which of several behaviours to do
6
Q
What is the main neurotransmitter used to communicate in the basal ganglia?
A
Dopamine
7
Q
What is the average dopaminergic loss in the substantia nigra?
A
70-80%
8
Q
Apart from the basal ganglia, where else in the brain loses neurons?
A
locus coeruleus
9
Q
What does the locus coeruleus do?
A
Makes noradrenaline to control smooth muscle, and a key role in stress/panic responses
10
Q
What are Lewy bodies?
A
Unusual clumps of alpha-synuclein
