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Parkinson 's Disease

Decent Essays

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. Growing up I had an uncle who had Parkinson disease. He got this from

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