Researchers Hunt for Clues about Parkinson’s Disease

20 February 2012

Doctors operate to place electrical devices in the brain of a patient with Parkinson's to ease symptoms of the disease

BARBARA KLEIN: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I’m Barbara Klein.

BOB DOUGHTY: And I’m Bob Doughty. Today we tell about the latest research and treatments for Parkinson’s disease.

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BARBARA KLEIN: Parkinson’s is a disease of the central nervous system. It is a progressive disorder, meaning it gets worse over time. The disease affects a small area of cells in the middle of the brain. This area is called the substantia nigra. The cells slowly lose their ability to produce a chemical called dopamine.

The decrease in the amount of dopamine can result in one or more general signs of Parkinson’s disease. These include shaking of the hands, arms and legs. They also include difficulty moving or keeping balanced while walking or standing. Also, there may be emotional changes, like feeling depressed or worried. The symptoms of Parkinson's differ from person to person. They also differ in their intensity.

BOB DOUGHTY: The disease is named after James Parkinson. He was a British doctor who first described this condition in eighteen seventeen.

During the nineteen sixties, researchers discovered changes in the brains of people with the disease. These discoveries led to medicines to treat the effects of the disease. There is no cure for Parkinson's and no way to prevent it. And doctors still are not sure what causes Parkinson’s.