Extra Credit for BIOC 460 Final

1. Case Study
Four years ago, my grandfather usually got headache and
felt painful in his body. He used aspirin and different pain
relief medications to reduce his symptom. However, the
drugs did not work well, so he came to see his doctor.
After having general tests, the doctor did not find the
reason that lead to his symptom. He gave my parents
different medicines to reduce his problem. He kept using
these drugs more than a year until one day, he found that
he had difficult to hold something with his hands and
started to forgot things. He came to his doctor again and
his doctor said he had Parkinson’s disease. When my
grandparent heard the new, he was surprising because he
had a healthy life style.

3. What is Parkinson’s disease?
• Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition
that typically causes stiffness in movement.
• It occurs in people over the age of 60 years
and increases as we age.
• It is relative to family history

4. Parkinson’s disease
• There are seven genes that cause Parkinson’s disease. All of
them are mutation genes. But the genes: SNCA-PARK1,
UCHL1-PARK5, LRRK2-PARK 8 and another mapped gene PARK
3 are dominant inheritance in families.
• Genetic material, which is also know as gene, is stored in the
center of every cells in our bodies. Genes carry the
information the body needs to make proteins, which are
important substance for human life and growth.
• We have thousands of genes. Genes are made up of DNA .
Each chromosome contains many genes.

5. • DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is hereditary material
in humans and all other organisms. Most DNA is
located in the nucleus of the cells.
• The information in DNA is stored at four chemical
bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C ) an
thymine (T).
• DNA bases pair up with each other by hydrogen
bonds. A with T and C with G. Each base is
attached to a sugar molecule and a phosphate
molecule.
• A base, sugar and phosphate are made of
nucleotide. Nucleotides are arranged in two long
strands that form a spiral called double helix.
• DNA is a double helix formed by base pairs
attached o sugar-phosphate backbone. DNA can
replicate or make copies of itself. This is the way
that DNA can pass information to a new cell.
DNA

6. Parkinson’s disease and the impacts

8. What tests did the doctor use to my grandfather
to determine Parkinson’s disease?
• There is no specific test to diagnose
Parkinson’s disease.
• Genetic testing has recently become
available for determining Parkinson’s disease
at early age. However, the testing is not
common because the Parkinson's gene is
large and difficult to test.
• PET Scan, CT Scan and MRI are used for the
patients with Parkinson’s disease. PET Scan is
used to assess activity and function of brain
regions involved in movement. CT is used to
look for signs of disease like Parkinson’s in
the body. MRI is used to produce clear
images of human body without the use of X-
rays.

9. What are mediations to treat Parkison’s
disease?
• Parkinson’ disease can’t be cured, but mediations can help patient
control their symptoms.
• People with Parkinson’s disease have low brain dopamine
concentration. The mediations would increase dopamine.
• Dopamine is a specific signaling chemical in the brain. It cannot be
given directly, as it can’t enter to the brain.
• Dopamin is monoamine because it has one amine group. It is
neurotransmitters and is also a hormone.
• Carbidopa-levidopa is the most effective Parkinson’s disease
medication. It is a natural chemical that passes to the brain and is
converted to dopamine via an enzyme known as aromatic amino
acid decarboxylase.
• Another mediations are MAO-B inhibitors, catechol-O-
methyltransferase inhibitors… They prevent the breakdown of
dopamine in brain.

10. Reference
• What is a gene? - Genetics Home Reference. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2016, from
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/gene
• What is DNA? - Genetics Home Reference. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2016, from
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/dna
• H. (2015). What is Parkinsons Disease [infographic] - Infographics - Data Visualization. Retrieved
December 11, 2016, from http://www.infographicspedia.com/what-is-parkinsons-disease-
infographic/
• Medicines in Development for Parkinson's Disease 2014. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2016,
from http://www.phrma.org/report/medicines-in-development-for-parkinson-s-disease-20141
• Learning About Parkinson's Disease. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2016, from
https://www.genome.gov/10001217/learning-about-parkinsons-disease/
• Back to Basics 4: Dopamine! (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2016, from
http://scicurious.scientopia.org/2010/08/26/back-to-basics-4-dopamine/