Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement. It is caused by the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. The main symptoms include tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. While there is no cure for Parkinson's, L-Dopa medication is effective at reducing many of the symptoms by increasing dopamine levels in the brain. However, long-term L-Dopa use can lead to adverse effects like dyskinesia due to denervation supersensitivity. Other drugs that increase dopamine activity or reduce acetylcholine are also used to treat Parkinson's symptoms.

1. Parkinson's Disease www.freelivedoctor.com

3. Parkinson's disease was first formally described in " An Essay on the Shaking Palsy ," published in 1817 by a London physician named James Parkinson, but it has probably existed for many thousands of years. Its symptoms and potential therapies were mentioned in the Ayurveda, the system of medicine practiced in India as early as 5000 BC, and in the first Chinese medical text, Nei Jing, which appeared 2500 years ago. www.freelivedoctor.com

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44. The Protective Effects of Selegiline Although the factors responsible for the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease are not understood, the findings from neurochemical studies have suggested that the surviving striatal dopamine neurons accelerate the synthesis of dopamine, thus enhancing the formation of H 2 0 2 according to the following scheme. www.freelivedoctor.com

45. Monoamine oxidase B Dopamine + 0 2 + H 2 0----------> H 2 0 2 + NH 3 + 3,4 dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde Glutathione peroxidase H 2 0 2 + 2 G S H ----------> G S S G + 2 H 2 0 www.freelivedoctor.com

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52. Risk of Parkinsonism in smokers is 20-70% less than non-smokers; nicotine may increase firing rate of dopaminergic neurons www.freelivedoctor.com