Biology Investigatory

Project

TOPIC: PARKINSON’S DISEASE

MADE BY: ANEESH MOOSA

CLASS: XII – A
CONTENTS
 Acknowledgement

Parkinson’s disease
How our brain coordinates movement and what

can go wrong

What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s?

Why do some people get Parkinson’s and not

others?

How common is Parkinson’s?

How can we prevent Parkinson’s?

Some facts

Bibliography

Acknowledgement
I would like to express my special thanks of
gratitude to my teacher Anaswara Mam who gave
me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful
project on the topic Parkinson’s Disease, which also
helped me in doing a lot of Research and I came to
know about so many new things I am really
thankful to them.

Secondly, I would also like to thank my parents and

friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this
project within the limited time frame.
 …Certificate…

Examination/Board no: __________ Date:

School Roll No: _____ ________

Certified that this is the bonafide work of Aneesh Moosa of

class 12-A of Coast Guard Public School. He has performed

this project during the academic section 2019 -2020.

Teacher in-charge. Principal sign.

_______________ ______________

Examiner. Seal of school.

______________ _____________
 Parkinson’s disease
Most of us at one time or another have noticed our
hands tremble when we are holding a drink, or our teeth
chatter when it is very cold out. This is normal.
Sometimes though a small tremor is one of the first
signs of Parkinson’s disease.
• Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive, movement
disorder that affects muscle control and balance. These
symptoms gradually worsen over time, and generally
other secondary symptoms start to occur.
How your brain coordinates movement and what can go
wrong
Parkinson’s disease is caused by a gradual deterioration
in the function of nerve cells, or neurons, located in a
specific area of your brain. Your brain contains millions
of neurons, which process and transmit information. It
receives information via neurons from all parts of your
body, processes it, and then sends out instructions to
other parts of your body to produce specific actions. The
information travels along neurons as electrical impulses.
When a nerve impulse reaches the junction between
two neurons, a chemical neurotransmitter (think of it as
a bike courier carrying information from one building to
the next) is released that stimulates the impulse in the
next neuron so that it continues on to its destination.

Image of neurotransmitters traveling across a synaptic

junction

Several different areas of your brain are used to process

and transmit the information that controls movement,
and a malfunction in any of these can cause a
movement disorder. With Parkinson’s, the malfunction
occurs within an important movement control centre in
the midbrain called the substantia nigra. Normally, the
neurons in this region produce a neurotransmitter
called dopamine.. In Parki
Parkinson’s,
nson’s, clumps of protein
known as Lewy bodies build up inside the dopamine
producing neurons, which steadily degenerate and
eventually die. The death of dopamine producing
neurons means less dopamine, and without enough
dopamine other parts of your brain cannot operate
properly. Ultimately, this makes walking, reaching for
objects and other basic movements very difficult.
Additional loss of dopamine in other regions of your
brain and in your intestines, is thought to be at least
partly to blame for some of the secondary symptoms of
Parkinson’s.
 What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s?
The primary symptoms of Parkinson’s are related to
movement, and vary from one person to the next. Sometimes
at the onset of Parkinson’s, you may not even be aware that
you have any symptoms. Gradually though, and usually over a
period of years, symptoms do become noticeable, and are
often of three distinct types:
• tremors - these will typically start in one hand on one side of
your body, but you may also feel them in your arms, legs, jaw
and face.
• bradykinesia - this is when your movements become slower,
making it very difficult to perform even simple tasks.
• rigidity - this is when your muscles are unable to relax, which
can affect your posture and make your movements are jerkier.
You may even find yourself freezing like a statue in the middle
of what you are doing (akinesia).
As the disease progresses, as well as getting slower,
Parkinson’s often causes characteristic changes in the
way you walk. As a result, you may find you have
difficulty starting to walk, are only able to take small
shuffling steps, and then have difficulty stopping
walking. This is known as Parkinsonian gait. All of the
problems with movement are usually accompanied by
muscle stiffness that can occur in any part of your body,
limit your range of motion, cause you pain, change your
posture and disrupt your balance.

There are also many secondary symptoms of Parkinson’s

that are not related to movement. Most of these falls
into three major categories, autonomic or involuntary
symptoms, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms, and
sleep disorders; for example, you may lose your sense of
smell, find you are sweating a lot, have signs of
depression, or have trouble sleeping. However, because
every
very case is unique, it is impossible to predict which of
these you might experience. That said, psychiatric
symptoms such as nightmares, hallucinations and
dementia often become more problematic in the later
stages of the disease.

Image showing the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease

Why do some people get Parkinson’s and not others?
We don’t know what causes the dopamine producing
neurons to die in Parkinson’s disease, or why this
happens to some people and not others. We do know
though that it is very rare when you are young, usually
doesn’t start until middle age or later in life, affects men
more than women, and seems to run in families. We
also know there is a connection between Parkinson’s
and head trauma, as well as exposure to some
pesticides and solvents. Overall however, none of these
risk factors alter the chances you will get Parkinson’s by
very much at all.
 How common is Parkinson’s?
Overall, around 300 per 100,000 people have
Parkinson’s disease. Most people are diagnosed during
their 70s; although 15% of cases occur among people
who are under 50 years of age. Recent estimates
indicate that the number of people living with
Parkinson’s steadily increases with age. Given this, it is
clear that the burden of Parkinson’s disease is set to
increase in many countries as the population ages.

Histogram of the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease at

different ages
 How can you prevent Parkinson’s?
Not knowing why someone gets Parkinson’s disease
makes it pretty much impossible to know how to
prevent it. That said, there is some evidence that
caffeine has a protective effect, as coffee drinkers have
been found to be at lower risk
risk, although a healthy
lifestyle may not prevent Parkinson’s disease, it can be
very helpful with symptoms. Among other things, good
nutrition and regular exercise can increase your
appetite, keep your digestive system healthy, help you
sleep better, improve your blood
blood circulation, and help
you maintain a better range of motion.

Effect of Parkinson’s disease on brain

Other Medications can be: -

Physical therapy

Physical therapy can help improve mobility, range of

motion and muscle tone. The exercises cannot Stop or
reverse the effects of the disease but it can help keep
the muscles in better shape and slow the degenerative
effects of the disease on the body. Physical therapy can
help improve gait and a speech therapist can improve
problems with speaking and swallowing.

Medications

Certain medications are used to help patients manage

problems associated with Parkinson's such are tremors,
movement, and walking. These medications include:
Levodopa, Dopamine agonists, MAO B inhibitors,
Catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors,
Anticholinergics, and Glutamate (NMDA) blocking
drugs. Unfortunately, dopamine itself cannot be taken
because it cannot enter the brain so other medications
that mimic dopamine, or that can change into
dopamine, are taken instead.
 A Surgery

A doctor may suggest deep brain stimulation which is a

procedure in which an electrode is placed deep in the
brain at the parts that control movement. It is
connected to a pacemaker-like device that controls the
electrode. This is usually used in patients that have
unstable responses to medications.

OTHER FACTS: -
People we know with Parkinson’s disease

Michael J Fox

American-Canadian actor
 Muhammed Ali

American professional boxer

Janet Reno

Former Attorney General of the United States

THANK YOU