Your Health: Picturing Parkinson's

By:Ivanhoe Broadcast News

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Nilou Salimpour Media Relations Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (310) 292-6536 salimpourn@cshs. org

If Parkinson's disease is left untreated, it can completely disable an individual. It may also lead to a deterioration of all brain functions and an early death.

The exact cause of Parkinson's disease is still unknown. It has yet to be discovered why some brain cells waste away, but there are some potential factors that may play a role.

Parkinson's disease occurs when the nerve cells, which make dopamine in the brain, are slowly destroyed. Without dopamine, the nerve cells in that part of the brain cannot properly send messages. This leads to the loss of muscle function. Other factors that may contribute to Parkinson's disease are genetic mutations, being exposed to certain toxins or viruses, low norepinephrine levels or having lewy bodies-unusual protein clumps which are found in the brain.

There is no cure for Parkinson's disease. The goal of treatment is to control the symptoms, mostly by increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain, making the disease easier to cope with.

There are several medications that help ease the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as, Levodopa (L-dopa). Levodopa is used to treat movement-related symptoms of Parkinson's disease. It is the best known drug used to control symptoms. In some cases, surgery, such as brain stimulation, may be an option. A surgeon places wires in the brain. The wires carry tiny electrical signals to the parts in the brain that control movement, helping those parts in the brain work better.

Many medications used to treat Parkinson's disease can cause severe side effects, including hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and delirium.

For decades, Physicians have had to rely largely on a keen eye and their experience to properly diagnose Parkinson's disease. In January of 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of ioflupane iodine-123 injection or DaTscan to aid in early detection.

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Your Health: Picturing Parkinson's