Aging and the Endocannabinoid System
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PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Parkinson’s disease impacts 1.5 million Americans and 23,000 die of it each year. 96% of patients are over the age of 50 and men are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than women. Risk factors for developing Parkinson’s disease include genetics, exposure to toxins like paraquat pesticide, illnesses, and old age. Caffeine, green tea, and aerobic exercise may prevent the development of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a deficiency in dopamine, a neurotransmitter that modulates pleasure, motivation, smell, balance, and movement.
Parkinson’s disease is characterized by loss of smell, tremor, speech changes, writing changes, problems with balance, rigidity, slow movement (bradykinesia) and freezing. Additional issues experienced by patients include sleep disorders, problems swallowing, depression and other mood changes, cognitive difficulties, bladder issues, constipation, fatigue, blood pressure changes, pain, and changes in libido or sexual performance. Brain changes include the presence of alpha-synuclein enriched Lewy bodies that clump and can’t be broken down by cells.
Common treatments of Parkinson’s disease include drugs that raise dopamine levels, such as carbidopa-levodopa, which converts into dopamine once it crosses the blood-brain barrier and dopamine agonists such as Mirapex (pramipexole), Requip (ropinrole), Neupro (rotigotine), and Apokyn (apomorphine). Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors prevent the breakdown of dopamine and include Eldepryl or Zelapar (selegiline) and Azilect (rasagiline). Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors also block breakdown of dopamine and include Comtan (entacapone) and Tasmar (tolcapone). Amantadine is a drug given to relieve symptoms of early-stage Parkinson’s disease as well as to control side effects of Parkinson’s drugs such as carbidopa-levodopa. Finally, surgical methods including deep brain stimulation (DBS) and stem cell transplantation also help Parkinson’s patients, as do massage, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, dance, music and art therapy.
Neuro Research