Parkinson's disease (PD) affects the nerve cells, or neurons, in a part of the brain that controls muscle movement. These are dopamin producing nerve cells (dopaminergic neurons) that die or do not work properly anymore. Dopamine is a chemical that these cells use to communicate with each other sending the signals that help coordinate movements. It is not known what damages these cells and why they die, but the consequence are the typical symtoms of PD that include:
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Trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and face |
Stiffness of the arms, legs and trunk |
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Poor balance and coordination |
Slowness of movement |
PD usually affects people over the age of 60, but it can start earlier. Disease progression can be very slow or faster depending on the individual. As PD progresses symptoms get worse, and people may have trouble walking, talking or doing simple tasks. They may also have problems such as depression, sleep problems or trouble chewing, swallowing or speaking. There is no cure for PD, but a variety of medicines sometimes help reduce the symptoms.
Parkinson's disease and oxidative stress
Research shows that oxidative stress is a very important contributing factor in PD. New insights to the importance of oxidative stress have come from a rare inherited form of PD in which a particular gene called DJ-1 is mutated. DJ-1 is involved in the defence of cells against oxidation damage and is activated in the presence of reactive oxygen species. Loss of function of DJ-1 impairs in the ability of the nerve cells to respond appropriately to oxidative stress which in turn leads to a loss in nerve cells. This process is involved in starting off the development and fueling the progression of Parkinson's disease (Kahle PJ, Waak J, Gasser T. DJ-1 and prevention of oxidative stress in Parkinson disease and other age-related disorders. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2009 Aug 14).
Polyphenols and Parkinson's disease
With the understanding that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are main causes of PD, researchers investigated if polyphenol antioxidants, the type of plant-based antioxidants that are the actives in the Enzogenol pine bark extract, can rescue and, most importantly, restore the impaired movement activity in a Parkinson's disease model (paraquat and iron induced nerve damage in Drosophila melanogaster). The research showed that the polyphenol antioxidants were able to protect, restore and maintain movement abilities, and the researchers concluded that pure polyphenols might be potent neuroprotective agents for the treatment of PD (Jimenez-Del-Rio M, Guzman-Martinez C, Velez-Pardo C. The Effects of Polyphenols on Survival and Locomotor Activity in Drosophila melanogaster Exposed to Iron and Paraquat. Neurochemical Research. 2009 Aug 23).
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Knowledge Links:
Parkinsons Society of New Zealand
Parkinson's Australia
National Parkinson's Foundation (USA)
Parkinson's Disease Foundation (USA)
MedlinePlus:
Parkinson's Disease
Other good Parkinson's Disease websites:
NINDS (Natl Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH, US)
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