Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, which affects the motor system. In PD, a progressive cell death in the basal ganglia of the brain affects the dopamine secreting neurons present in the substantia nigra pars compacta. This impacts the functioning of the motor, oculo-motor, limbic, associative and orbitofrontal circuits of the brain. As the disease progresses, non-motor functions are also compromised. Symptoms typically appear slowly with time. The chief signs of the disease are slowness of movement, shaking, rigidity and difficulty in walking. Depression, anxiety, dementia and behavioral problems are also common. While the cause of PD is relatively unknown, exposure to certain pesticides, prior head injuries, mutations in certain genes, etc. present risk factors for PD. Different approaches, evaluations and advanced studies on Parkinson's disease have been included in this book. It aims to shed light on some of the unexplored aspects of this disease. Students, researchers, experts and all associated with neuroscience will benefit alike from this book.