Juvenile Parkinsonism: A Genetic Analysis

Parkinson’s disease is a very well-known disease. It plagues about five million people worldwide, about a million of those cases are in the United States. A person does not lower their chances of getting Parkinson’s by living in a certain part of the world. It is not more, likely to happen in one location than, another. It has to do with age and genetics (“Demographics of parkinson’s,” 2014). It is a disease of the older generation, around about one percent of people over the age of 60 years old have Parkinson’s disease (Hauser, 2014). As one ages the likelihood of a person developing goes up. About four percent of people over the age of 80 years old develop Parkinson’s disease. The percentage of people who have Parkinson’s that are younger than 40 years old, is less than 10 percent. It is more

Many may not know Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world. This disease is most seen in the elderly starting at 62 years of age although, younger individuals can still have the disease it isn’t common. Parkinson’s make it difficult for its victims to carry out everyday activities that might have once been easy for them. As the disease progresses it makes it hard for the patient to do things like walk, stand, swallow and speak. A great deal of people don’t realize how helpful therapy can be when dealing with such disease!

The path physiology of Parkinson’s disease is the pathogenesis if Parkinson disease is unknown. Epidemiologic data suggest genetic, viral, and environmental toxins as possible

Although the etiology of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is unknown, it is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) of ventral midbrain region [9]; [1]. Its prevalence is associated with age. Approximately 1% of the population is affected at 65–70 years of age, which increases to 4–5% in 85-year-olds [2]. Various epidemiological studies and pathological analyses have demonstrated that mean age of onset in sporadic PD, which accounts for about 95% of cases of Parkinsonism is 70 years [7]; [3]. Familial form of Parkinson’s disease is linked to genetic mutations and has prevalence rate of 4%. Familial Parkinson’s disease patients develop early-onset disease before the age of 50

Muhamad Ali, Michael J. Fox, and Linda Ronstadt are just a few celebrities that have been diagnosed with a disease called Parkinson’s. Most people have heard the name of this disease but do not exactly know what it is. Although it is not well known, it is a very common neurodegenerative disease. Much of the information about Parkinson’s is not prominent, although the disease is the second most common of its kind, next to Alzheimer’s (Surguchov, 2013, p.116). The disease can be debilitating if not treated properly. Because PD is such a real issue, efforts to research its cause and treatment have been extensive and continue to be. Only one medication known to ease the suffering of its victims has been found effective thus far (Surguchov,

This is just one of the many Parkinson’s disease cases reported each year; although medications and treatments are given out, they can only relieve related

Parkinson’s disease is a “progressive, degenerative neurological condition that affects a person’s control of their body movements. It is not contagious and not fatal. It is thought to be genetic in a very small percentage of cases.” (Better Health Channel, 2015) There are approximately 80,000 Australians living with Parkinson’s today. The average age of diagnosis is around 65 years of age, however, younger people can be diagnosed with Parkinson’s as well. This is known as Young Onset Parkinson’s which is usually due to genetics. It is quite difficult to diagnose Parkinson’s. There are no laboratory tests so it is important that the diagnosis is made by a specialist like a neurologist (Parkinsons.org.au, 2015).

Scientists generally agree that most cases of Parkinson’s disease result from some combination of nature and nurture the interaction between a people’s underlying genetic make-up and his or her life activities and environmental exposures. A simple way to describe this is that “genetics loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.” In this formulation, “environment” has a very broad meaning that is, it refers to any and all possible causes other than those that are genetic in origin. The interactions between genes and environment can be quite complex. Some environmental exposures may lower the risk of PD, while others may increase it. Similarly, some people have inherited a genetic makeup that makes them more or less susceptible to the effects of toxicants, or poisonous agents, than others. The effect of a combined exposure can be greater or lower than a single exposure. All of this means that the particular combination of factors leading to PD is likely to be unique for each person. These combinations, in different ways, may trigger a common series of biological changes that will ultimately lead to the disease. Scientists are beginning to tease apart the non-genetic factors that influence PD risk. In particular, epidemiologists are working to identify differences in the experiences of people who develop PD, compared to those who do not. But identifying these risk factors can be difficult.

Have you ever met someone with Parkinson’s Disease? Typically when you learn about a genetic condition you have many unanswered questions. In this paper I will inform you on the biology of the disorder, the characteristics, and how having Parkinson’s Disease might impact a persons life.

The Parkinson 's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer 's disease (Lang and Lozano, 1998). It affects about 1% of the population with different ethnic backgrounds throughout the world over the age of 65 (Tanner and Goldman, 1996). The aetiology of Parkinson 's disease is not well understood; however, genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role (Checkoway and Nelson, 1999). Pathologically, PD is characterised by mitochondrial DNA dysfunction leading to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (Fig.1) and subsequent reduction in striatal dopamine levels (Longmore, 2014).

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a common idiopathic neurologic disease that affects nearly 1-2% of individuals over the age of 50. It is a slowly progressive disease with a life expectancy of 15 years following the initial diagnosis (Duffy, 2013). Having relatives diagnosed with PD increases the likelihood of being diagnosed with PD. In fact, one third of individuals with two or more relatives diagnosed with PD will likely acquire the disease (Duffy, 2013). Other possible causes may include unidentified environmental toxins, such as herbicides and pesticides.

Parkinson’s disease is a common form of Parkinsonism, affecting as many as one out of every hundred people aged 65 years and over. The disease prevalence increases with age, with

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, characterized by symptoms of motor abnormalities such as bradykinesia, resting tremor, and muscle rigidity, along with non-motor symptoms including depression, autonomic dysfunction, and dementia1-3. These motor symptoms are largely due to specific loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, located in the basal ganglia of the brain, although other areas of the brain have also shown degeneration such as the cerebral cortex and brainstem4, 5. In addition, the accumulation of cytoplasmic plaques known as Lewy bodies are also a hallmark of PD. PD can be classified into sporadic as well as familial cases, with sporadic PD representing

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease known to humans, characterized by loss of control of the central nervous system, and has been studied extensively by the scientific community (Hering et al. 2004). One gene loci identified as PARK7 or DJ-1, has been mapped to chromosome 1p36 and contains the DJ-1 protein (Bonifati et al. 2003). Mutations on the DJ-1 gene are shown to reduce the function of this gene, subsequently leading to the early onset Parkinson’s disease (Bonifati et al. 2003).

Parkinson’s disease is a disease of the central nervous system that affects movement, causing widespread tremors along with other symptoms. It is a result of the loss of dopamine-releasing cells in the midbrain, specifically the substantia nigra pars compacta. There are many theories as to how Parkinson’s disease develops, including the possibility of genetic mutations, certain toxins in the environment, and oxidative stress. The vast majority of Parkinson’s patients are males older than fifty; however, there are cases of Parkinson’s disease in children as young as thirteen. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include isolated or widespread tremors, stiffness, and slowing of movement. There