Clinical Manifestations
This clinical manifestation slows movements, making activities of daily living more difficult.
What is bradykinesia?
Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in this brain region disrupts motor control and leads to impaired voluntary movement
What is the substantia nigra?
What is a DaTscan?
This medication is used in situations where oral medications stop working during the day
What is inhaled Levodopa?
This neurotransmitter is decreased due to a degeneration of neurons in the substantial nigra
What is dopamine?
This skill may be lost as the disease progresses. Skills you may have been able to do unconsciously, but ow require thought to complete them
What are automatic movements?
Loss of this neurotransmitter in the basal ganglia leads to decreased stimulation of the motor cortex, causing slowed movement
What is dopamine?
Diagnosis is predominantly based on recognizing this combination of fundamental motor features
What are bradycardia, tremor, rigidity, and/or postural instability?
This treatment involves placing electrodes within the brain, with hopes of reducing symptoms
What is deep brain stimulation?
This kind of brain cell is mainly affected by this disease, causing abnormal communication in motor neurons
What are dopaminergic neurons?
A group of symptoms that usually occur years before diagnosis, including loss of smell, constipation, and depression.
What are non-motor symptoms?
Degeneration of this pathway reduces activation of the direct motor pathway, resulting in difficulty initiating movement
What is the nigrostriatal pathway?
What is a clinical neurological examination?
Loss of this particular sense can occur years before any motor symptoms develop
What is olfaction?
What is a tremor?
An imbalance between these two neurotransmitters in the central nervous system contributes to tremor and muscle rigidity
Improvement in symptoms after taking this medication will help to support the diagnosis
What is Levodopa (carbidopa-levodopa)?
This type of medication blocks acetylcholine, and helps control tremor activity
What are anticholinergics?
This type of tremor is often seen when the muscles are at rest
What is a resting tremor?
This clinical manifestation causes the body to feel very stiff and movements to be short and jerky.
What are rigid muscles?
This process involves accumulation of misfolded proteins that form Lewy bodies, leading to progressive neuron death
What is alpha-synuclein aggregation?
What is a neurologist?
What are dopamine agonists?
This is a progressive neurological diseases that causes difficulties with motor functions
What is a neurodegenerative movement disorder?