Parkinson’s, the neurodegenerative disease that affected my father’s life.

1. PARKINSON'S DISEASE IN MY FAMILY

2. The person in my family who has Parkinson’s disease is my
father. Parkinson’s is a neurological disease that has
affected my father’s movements, causing tremors,
slowness, muscle rigidity, imbalance, and can also cause
changes in speech and writing. It is a disease that occurs
due to a degeneration of cells that are found in a region of
the brain called the substantia nigra. These cells produce
the neurotransmitter dopamine. The lack or decrease of
dopamine causes the movements to be affected causing
symptoms as mentioned above. My father discovered he
had the disease eight years ago, when he began to notice
the symptoms. My father’s symptoms began with the
tremors, which gradually increased over the years. In my
father’s case, tremors mainly affect the hands, and can also
affect the head or feet. These tremors occur when no
movement is performed by the person, being recognized as
resting tremor.

3. The main area involved in Parkinson’s disease is the basal
ganglia, which are a set of nerve cells that are located
deep in the brain. Basal ganglia help initiate intentional or
voluntary muscle movements, also suppress involuntary
movements, and coordinate changes in posture. The
structures that include the basal ganglia are:
• Caudate nucleus (a C-shaped structure that tapers into a
thin cause)
• Putamen

4. • Globus pallidus (located within the putamen)
• Subthalamic nucleus
• Substantia nigra
The drugs my father takes include levodopa and
benserazide, the mechanism of action of these drugs act
mainly on the ability of this to be converted to dopamine
within the brain, correcting the dopamine deficiency that is
characteristic of Parkinson’s disease.
The disease caused in my father since problems in moving
to depression, led him to retire due to tremors, and lack of
motor coordination, preventing him from working properly.
My father’s description of the disease is that a feeling of
speeding up a car and it not moving, that you try to walk
and you have to concentrate to the maximum to be able to
take a few steps, is a very frustrating experience for him,
but nowadays he does physical therapy that helps a lot in
relation to movements.

5. In addition to the symptoms described above, it is possible
to observe alterations affecting the autonomic nervous
system, memory impairment, sleep disorders, which may
present problems related to environmental and genetic
issues that influence the body’s motor function and the
execution of movements. The autonomic nervous system is
in correlation with Parkinson’s disease, as it is closely
linked with aging factors.

6. This course helped me a lot in relation to the part of
anatomy, because this subject is of interest to me, due to
my father, Professor Mason described very well anatomical
aspects, just complemented in relation to the disease, I
believe that the course was able to describe several parts
in relation to the nervous system, aspects of the diseases
that affect the brain, the most varied possible, among them
Parkinson’s disease.
I thank Professor Mason for all her dedication in showing
us all these concepts about the nervous system, and
making correlations and reflections in relation to our daily
lives.
Thank you!

7. REFERENCES
http://www.revistaneurociencias.com.br/edicoes/1999/
RN%2007%2001/Pages%20from%20RN%2007%2
001-2.pdf
https://www.medtronic.com/br-pt/your-
health/conditions/parkinsons-disease.html
https://www.msdmanuals.com/pt/casa/dist%C3%BArb
ios-cerebrais,-da-medula-espinal-e-dos-
nervos/doen%C3%A7as-do-
movimento/doen%C3%A7a-de-parkinson-dp