Parkinson's Disease: Overview

Neurodegenerative disorders are progressive conditions characterized by the irreversible loss of neurons in specific brain regions.

The primary therapeutic goal is alleviating symptoms and slowing down the neurodegenerative process, although a cure remains elusive.

Parkinsonism is a clinical syndrome characterized by bradykinesia, muscular rigidity, resting tremor, and impaired postural balance.

The most common form is idiopathic Parkinson's disease, involving dopaminergic neuron degeneration in the substantia nigra of the brain.

Notably, certain dopamine-blocking drugs like haloperidol and phenothiazines can also induce Parkinson-like symptoms, referred to as pseudoparkinsonism.

The pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease involves basal ganglia dysfunction and an imbalance between the direct and indirect neuronal pathways.

A key pathological feature of this disease is the presence of intracellular inclusions containing aggregated α-synuclein proteins, known as Lewy bodies, in the brain.

The primary treatment for parkinsonism relies on levodopa, a dopamine precursor that increases its levels in the brain.