The Parkinson Research Project
Overview
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects many body regions. Symptoms appear gradually, with tremors in one hand and stiffness in the early stages. Symptoms include a lack of facial expression, difficulty walking or moving, and soft or slurred speech. Symptoms get worse as the disease deteriorates. Although Parkinson's disease is not curable, medications can considerably improve symptoms, and in some cases, it becomes necessary to correct specific regions of the brain through surgery for those symptoms to slow down.
Parkinson's disease is characterized by the loss of nerve cells in the substantia nigra that generate dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates bodily movement. The slow and irregular movements in the patient appear only after 50% of the nerve cell activity in the substantia nigra dies or gets damaged. Neural cell death is a gradual process that results in a decrease in dopamine levels, leading to delayed and abnormal motor control.
Among the neurological disorders after Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's is the second most common disease. Research is underway to understand the potential cause of the loss of nerve cells associated with Parkinson's disease, which is currently believed to be a combination of genetic changes and environmental factors.
Genetic factors, such as the presence of defective genes, can raise the risk of having the disease. But the inheritance of detective genes by the offspring is usually rare.
Environmental factors, such as pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture or industrial pollutants, may all contribute to the disease. However, the research relating to environmental factors in Parkinson's disease remains unclear.
According to the WHO, over the past 25 years, Parkinson's disease (PD) has doubled in prevalence, with over 8.5 million individuals affected globally in 2019. In 2019, PD resulted in 5.8 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), an 81% increase since 2000, and 329,000 deaths, a 100% increase since 2000.
(https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/parkinson-disease).