Medically reviewed by Heidi Moawad, M.D. — Written by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D. on February 6, 2023
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition that can affect several areas of the brain. The area it affects the most is known as the substantia nigra, which is involved with movement. Nerve activity in other areas of the brain can also be affected, contributing to motor and nonmotor symptoms.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological condition that can cause problems with movement, coordination, and balance. It’s estimated to affect almost 1 million people in the United States.
PD affects the nervous system. In this article, we’ll look at the ways it impacts the nervous system, what treatments can help, and the general outlook for PD.
What causes Parkinson’s disease?
In Parkinson’s disease, nerve cells in the brain become damaged and start to die. What exactly causes PD is still unknown. Generally speaking, it’s believed to develop due to a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Indeed, some people with PD show genetic changes that are known to be associated with the condition. However, most people with PD don’t have these genetic changes.
People with PD do have accumulations of abnormal proteins called Lewy bodies in certain nerve cells. The formation or presence of Lewy bodies appears to contribute to PD, likely by disrupting certain processes within these cells, resulting in cell death.
What effect does Parkinson’s have on the nervous system?
Parkinson’s disease can have a variety of effects on the nervous system. This contributes to the types of symptoms associated with PD.
Motor symptoms
PD can affect several areas of the brain. The area that’s most significantly affected is called the substantia nigra, which is involved in movement.
The nerve cells in this area make a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that allow nerve cells to communicate with each other.
Dopamine is important for controlling certain aspects of movement. It’s also involved in many other functions like attention, memory, and mood, just to name a few.
In PD, as the nerve cells that make dopamine die, less dopamine is produced. This leads to the characteristic motor symptoms that are associated with PD, such as:
- tremors
- slow movement, known as bradykinesia
- rigid muscles
- trouble with coordination and balance, which affects gait and increases the risk of falls
In late-stage PD, the corpus callosum and corticospinal tracts of the brain are sometimes involved. It’s thought that this is due to the chronic changes in motor activity that PD causes. Changes in these areas of the brain can also contribute to motor symptoms.
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