Parkinson's Disease

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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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• Parkinson's Disease Definition and Overview
• Parkinson's Disease Causes
• Parkinson's Disease Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis
• Parkinson's Disease Treatment and Self-Care at Home
• Parkinson's Disease Medical Treatment
• Parkinson's Disease Medications
• Parkinson's Disease Surgery, Gene Therapy, and Other Therapies
• Parkinson's Disease Follow-up and Prognosis
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors
• Read more on Parkinson Disease from Healthwise
• Viewer Comments: Parkinson's Disease - Effective Treatment
• Viewer Comments: Parkinson's Disease: What Age of Onset and Symptoms

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related progressive deterioration of certain nerve systems in the brain, which affects movement, balance, and muscle control.

• Parkinson's disease is one of the most common movement disorders, affecting about 1% of people older than 60 years. PD is about 1.5 times more common in men than in women, and it becomes more likely to occur in people as they age. PD is not a hereditary disease.
• The average age of onset is about 60 years. Onset before age 40 years is relatively uncommon, but the much-publicized diagnosis of actor Michael J. Fox shows that younger people are also vulnerable.
• In PD, brain cells deteriorate (or degenerate) in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. From the substantia nigra, specific nerve cell tracts connect to another part of the brain called the corpus striatum, where the neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger in the brain) called dopamine is released. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter and alterations in its concentration can lead to the different medical problems seen in PD.
• The loss of these specific brain cells and decline in dopamine concentration are key steps that lead to the signs and symptoms of PD as well as are the target for treatments of PD. However, the biological, chemical, and genetic mechanisms responsible for the brain cell loss have not been identified with certainty.

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