Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative
disorder that affects approximately 1 million persons in the United States. It
is characterized by resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, gait disturbance
and postural instability. Its pathological features include degeneration of
dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta coupled with
intracytoplasmic inclusions known as Lewy bodies. Neurodegeneration and Lewy
bodies can also be found in locus ceruleus, nucleus basalis, hypothalamus,
cerebral cortex, cranial nerve motor nuclei, and central & peripheral components
of autonomic nervous system. The appearance of Lewy-body-like inclusions in
nigrostriatal terminals might be followed by retrograde degeneration, further
accumulation of aggregated proteins in nigral cell bodies and, finally,
reactive gliosis and cell death. In familial forms of Parkinson’s disease,
linked to mutations in α-synuclein, it is proposed that a loss of normal
function of this protein, as well as a toxic effect of altered forms of the
mutant protein, promote the accumulation of dopamine in cytoplasm. This would
result in oxidative stress, leading to the onset of neurodegenerative changes
mentioned above. Finally, we review evidence for a role of α-synuclein in
synaptic vesicle recycling& suggest that impaired function of this protein
might lead to accumulation of dopamine in cytoplasm. This could be the final
deleterious event that triggers the death of nigral dopaminergic neurons in PD.
In addition to prevailing pharmacologic therapies and surgical procedures,Yoga
can be one of the most beneficial complementary therapies for PD patients,
which canact at molecular level to reduce oxidative stress, improve
neuro-cognition, boost their mood, enhance sensory-motor performance, increase
dopamine & serotonin secretion and reduce cortisol secretion, thereby
collectively enhancing quality of life of PD patients & their care-takers.
Author (s) Details
C. S.
Nagalakshmi Author (s) Details
Professor and Head, Department of Biochemistry, Sri Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, T Begur, Bangalore Rural, Karnataka, India.
N. U. Santhosh
Consultant Neurosurgoen, Aster CMI Hospital, Sahakaranagar, Hebbal, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
View Book :- http://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/book/212
No comments:
Post a Comment