Other Forms of Parkinsonism
There are various different types of Parkinson's, which vary according to their severity and the impact they have on each individual patient. There are seven main derivates of the condition, which can all be as debilitating and frustrating for the sufferer, and all have a whole host of unanswered questions surrounding their nature.
One such form of the condition is known as post encephalitic parkinsonism, a notably severe movement disorder which causes many patients to develop disabling symptoms. This condition arose from the spread of a rapid spread of a viral condition, known as 'sleeping sickness', and was the subject of the 1990 film 'Awakenings'. The by-product of this viral condition is these parkinsonian symptoms which affect different patients in differing ways.
A form of Parkinson's which can be helped and sometimes reversed is that derived from ingesting prescribed drugs for psychiatric disorders. Additionally, some medications for the stomach can also lead to similar symptoms, although they should subside after the cessation of treatment. Striatonigral degeneration is another condition with like symptoms, although this affects largely different areas of the brain, and shows further damage to the brain than patients with Parkinson's. Patients suffering Parkinson's in this form common degenerate at a faster pace, and suffer from heightened muscular rigidity.
Another form of the disease, known as psuedoparkisonism pertains to brain damage as a result of numerous minor strokes. This mainly affects mental agility, and patients with this form of the condition rarely suffer from a tremor. Sadly with this condition, medications are of very little help in alleviating the symptoms.
Parkinson's can also be triggered by the ingestion, or exposure to toxins from various elements. Physicians are now even aware of a drug which can specifically induce Parkinson's, and this has been harnessed to allow for further testing of the condition, and perhaps the development of further treatments.
Parkisonian symptoms can also occur in patients with other related conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease and Huntington's Disease, which can serve to augment the symptoms of these conditions within the sufferers. Additionally, an isolated form of Parkinson's known as the Parkinsonism-dementia complex of Guam affects the population of Guam and its contemporary Islands. The disease takes its course over a very short period of time, and is linked with a toxin which is specific to that region from a staple diet used in times of food shortage.
The symptoms of each of these types of the condition vary in their nature and in the severity of their impact on patients and their daily lives. Not only do these conditions alter the patients' lifestyles, but they also cause a rapid degeneration process which can be particularly hard for patients and their families and friends alike. Whilst these conditions are so severe, the advancement of technology and the increased knowledge of Parkinson's and its related conditions could soon pave way to a better understanding of its causes and more effective treatments for the many sufferers of this dreadful condition.
Parkinson's disease news on the Web
Gene Therapy Helps Children With Rare, Incurable Brain Disease
Using gene transfer techniques pioneered by University of Florida faculty, Taiwanese doctors have restored some movement in four children bedridden with a rare, life-threatening neurological disease. The first-in-humans achievement may also be helpful for more common diseases such as Parkinson's that involve nerve cell damage caused by lack of a crucial molecule in brain tissue... |
Unravelling How Locomotion Starts
Scientists at the University of Bristol have shed new light on one of the great unanswered questions of neuroscience: how the brain initiates rhythmic movements like walking, running and swimming... |
Potential To Predict Parkinson's Disease Via Colonoscopy Or Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
Two studies by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggest that, in the future, colonic tissue obtained during either colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy may be used to predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of aging that that leads to progressive deterioration of motor function due to loss of neurons in the brain tha... |
Damaged Stem Cells Commit Suicide For The Good Of The Embryo
Embryonic stem cells - those revered cells that give rise to every cell type in the body - just got another badge of honor. If they suffer damage that makes them a threat to the developing embryo, they swiftly fall on their swords for the greater good, according to a study published online in the journal Molecular Cell... |
Once-Marginalized Parkinson's Disease Theory May Be Valid
The March issue of the FEBS Journal reports that scientists from the Californian University in San Diego have discovered new evidence for a theory that was once marginalized with regard to the underlying causes of Parkinson's disease, which conflicts with an older theory that Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases are caused by insoluble intracellular fibrils called amyloids... |
Strong Support Uncovered For Once-Marginalized Theory On Parkinson's Disease
University of California, San Diego scientists have used powerful computational tools and laboratory tests to discover new support for a once-marginalized theory about the underlying cause of Parkinson's disease. The new results conflict with an older theory that insoluble intracellular fibrils called amyloids cause Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases... |
Parkinson's Patients Might Respond To 19th Century Vibration-Chair Therapy
To relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease, Jean-Martin Charcot, a famous neurologist in the 19th century developed a "vibration chair" that showed improvements in his patients. However, Charcot died soon afterwards, before being able to conduct a more comprehensive evaluation of his therapy... |
Parkinson's Protein Causes Disease Spread In Animal Model
Last year, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that small amounts of a misfolded brain protein can be taken up by healthy neurons, replicating within them to cause neurodegeneration... |
Understanding How Parkinson's Disease Starts And Spreads
Injection of a small amount of clumped protein triggers a cascade of events leading to a Parkinson's-like disease in mice, according to an article published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Progressive accumulation of clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease coincides with the onset of motor dysfunction... |
Easing Depression In Parkinson's Patients Without Worsening Other Symptoms
Today's anti-depressant medications can ease depression in Parkinson's patients without worsening other symptoms of the disease, according to a study published online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "Depression is the number-one factor negatively affecting the quality of life for people with Parkinson's disease," said Irene Hegeman Richard, M.D... |
Ocular Tremors Parkinson's Disease Link
A study, published Online First by Archives of Neurology, reveals that persistent eye tremors seem to be common in individuals suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD). Ocular tremors can prevent eye stability during fixation and results from the study indicate that precise oculomotor testing could provide an early physiological biomarker for diagnosing Parkinson's disease. George T... |
Eating Berries May Lower Men's Parkinson's Risk
Men who regularly consume foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, apples, certain vegetables, tea and red wine, may significantly reduce their risk for developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the journal Neurology this week that saw no such effect among women... |
Potential Strategy To Restore Motor And Cognitive Function In Parkinson's Disease
An agent under consideration for use in PET imaging combats neuronal death to relieve Parkinsonian symptoms in animal models, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The movement-related symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including muscle rigidity and tremors, are caused by the loss of dopamine-secreting neurons in the brain... |
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