The pathogenesis and treatment of Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects middle-aged and older adults. Its incidence is second only to that of Alzheimer's disease. The primary source of clinical symptoms is the degradation and death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra-striatum. Patients mainly show motor symptoms such as static tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability, and non-motor symptoms such as sensory disturbance, autonomic nervous dysfunction and mental cognitive impairment. There is no proven way to cure the disease or to slow its progression through neuroprotection, therefore treatment focuses mostly on treating symptoms. This study examines the shared pathophysiology of PD, which includes inflammation, abnormalities in protein handling, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Next it discusses the available PD treatment options, which include standard medication therapy, promising surgical procedures, gene therapy, and new approaches to individualized PD care. The safety and usefulness of many treatments are still unknown, though. Hope that as life science and technology advance, the etiology of Parkinson's disease will become clearer and more dependable treatment options will be created to enhance sufferers' quality of life.