Neurodegenerative disorders

About Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder, affecting over six million people worldwide. The pathological finding associated with PD is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the pars compacta of the substantia nigra leading to the depletion of dopamine in the striatum. Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) is a common symptom of PD but is difficult to distinguish. Although it can occur at any stage of the illness, it is a…

Every so often mental illness may run in families, which suggests that people who have a family member with a mental illness may be at risk to develop one themselves. Severe mental illnesses, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are brain diseases and biological conditions like heart disease or epilepsy. Instead of treating these unfortunate individuals with compassion they are more likely to incarcerate the mentally ill in correctional institutions rather than treating…

Parkinson’s disease (PD), a chronic neurodegenerative disorder, “affects over four million people worldwide” Dorsey et al, 2007. Classically, it is characterized by its motor symptoms, such as: “rigidity, tremor, postural unbalance, and bradykinesia/aki- nesia" Braak, 2003; Jankovic 2008. However, just recently has its non-motor implications been observed and taken into consideration. People are less aware of the degeneration in the brain involving non-dopamine nerve cells that also occur and…

controversies that researchers currently do not have answers to (Gupta & Kulhara, 2010). Scientists have conducted studies that prove that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorder. Still, that is not enough for some experts who think otherwise. Some argue that schizophrenia is a biological disorder but there are people who disagreed. Scientists even traced back to a clinical observation involving Kraepelin and Bleuler, who have a history of schizophrenia because their…

Living with a family member who suffers from mental disorder has opened my mind that a tiny alteration in the nervous system can change the whole family member’s life. When I was in elementary school, my dad brought me to a psychiatrist and explained that my mother has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, I became interested in schizophrenia and started to read articles about this devastating mental illness. I understand that being caretaker of people who has neurological problem is a…

the gene HTT that codes for this protein becomes mutated (mHTT), it causes what is known as Huntington disease (HD). This is an autosomal dominant disorder meaning only a single gene needs to be altered in order to cause this disease (Huntington disease, 2016). If there is one parent affected, each child has a 50/50 chance of inheriting this disorder. The genetic defect is on chromosome 4 and causes the DNA sequence CAG trinucleotide to repeat more than it should. So instead of repeating 10 to…

America, as well as Australia, due to a higher frequency of certain alleles that are repeated in these populations (Walker, 2007, p. 221). This disease is classified as a neurodegenerative disorder, which is a term that is used to describe CNS disorders/diseases that are progressive (Damjanov, 2012, p. 465). These disorders typically present many different neurologic and psychiatric symptoms, such as “abnormal body movements and progressive mental deterioration”, and it is also possible to…

Huntington Disease (HD), also known as Huntington’s Disease or Huntington’s Chorea, is a hereditary genetic disorder that results in the death of brain cells causing neuropsychiatric changes, choreiform movements and cognitive disturbances [1]. The most common form of HD is called adult-onset Huntington disease which normally develops around the ages of 30 to 50 [2,3]. A less common form of HD is known as Juvenile Huntington Disease (JHD) which usually develops in childhood or adolescence.…

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive degeneration of alpha motor neurons, leading to muscle atrophy, paralysis, and even death1 .Mostly it has a recessive inheritance; however, autosomal dominant and X-linked inheritance has been documented2 The reported incidence is about 1 in 10,000 live births with a carrier frequency of 1 in 50.3 The gene for SMA, survival motor neuron (SMN1) has been mapped on the 5q11.2-13.3 region and there are two…

patients. These can either present as symptoms or diseases. Irrespective, alternative therapeutic approaches such as acupuncture, massage, aromatherapy, and homeopathy among others have been identified to work well towards alleviating mental health disorders. Synergism, which involves incorporating both biological, medicinal, and alternative approaches harmoniously to create a treatment plan that works, has been reported as an efficient practice in people dealing with mental…