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Parkinson
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The Parkinson Foundation of the Heartland is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding the cure for Parkinson's Disease and to providing services and educational programs for people with Parkinson's and their caregivers. The Parkinson Foundation ... provides education and CEU programs for professionals.
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive disorder of the central nervous system that belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders. In the United States, 1.5 million Americans currently have PD. It is estimated that 60,000 new patients are diagnosed each year. While the condition usually develops after the age of 65, 40 percent of people diagnosed are under age 60. PD affects nearly equal numbers of men and women, with no obvious social, ethnic, economic or geographic boundaries. There presently is no cure for the disease, and the cause is unknown.
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Over time, a person with Parkinson's may have trouble smiling, talking, or swallowing. Their faces may appear flat and without expression, but people with Parkinson's continue to have feelings - even though their faces don't always show it. And the disorder has no effect on thinking or memory. Because of problems with balance, some people with Parkinson's fall down a lot, which can result in broken bones. Some people with Parkinson's may ... feel sad or depressed and lose interest in the things they used to do.
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Parkinson's disease has no cure. People who are only mildly affected may need no treatment at first. As symptoms progress, various treatment approaches are available. Read more about Parkinson's disease treatment options.
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Parkinson's disease occurs when certain nerve cells, or neurons, in an area of the brain known as the substantia nigra die or become impaired. Normally, these neurons produce an important brain chemical known as dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical messenger responsible for transmitting signals between the substantia nigra and the next "relay station" of the brain, the corpus striatum, to produce smooth, purposeful muscle activity. Loss of dopamine causes the nerve cells of the striatum to fire out of control, leaving patients unable to direct or control their movements in a normal manner. Studies have shown that Parkinson's patients have a loss of 80 percent or more of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra. The cause of this cell death or impairment is not known but significant findings by research scientists continue to yield fascinating new clues to the disease.
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Although the new research is suggestive of a link between caffeine and Parkinson's disease, it is too early to say that caffeine will prevent Parkinson's disease. Perhaps the brains of people who like and dislike coffee are different. It may be that this difference results in the different incidence of Parkinson's disease and in the consumption of coffee. Also, the study included older, Japanese-American men. It is unknown if the caffeine/Parkinson disease relationship holds for other ethnic groups, women and younger people. As with many preliminary studies, this research requires further experiments to establish a causal link between caffeine and reduced incidence of Parkinson's disease.
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