![]() It's a simple equation: no dopamine, no movement. It is the as-yet unexplained decline in the brain's dopamine-producing cells that leads to movement disorders like Parkinson's. Those orders are sent at the speed of light through nerve networks with the help of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. She referred me to a specialist in Toronto where the diagnosis was conclusive.įrom leaping out of a tree to dancing the tango, very little happens in the body without first being ordered by the basal ganglia. While levodopa is initially the most effective medication, it produces side effects that require other drugs that produce their own side effects. These are just some of the drugs used to control Parkinson's disease. I produced radio features on brain development and decay. I worked for several years as a medicine and science reporter, covering stories that included the panic over mad cow disease in the U.K. Medical stories like this have always been a source of fascination for me. While true, it doesn't really capture the creeping, insidious progress of the disease as it deprives victims of the ability to control their own bodies. As neurologists will often explain, you will die with Parkinson's, not from Parkinson's. Parkinson's is considered a chronic but not fatal disease. From 2011 to 2031, the number of Parkinson's cases in Canada is expected to double. More than 84,000 Canadians suffer from symptoms of Parkinson's disease. These are all early symptoms of Parkinson's disease and the list is by no means exhaustive. Hands tremble uncontrollably, legs shake, walking becomes increasingly difficult, even swallowing is a challenge. Those pulses, applied continuously to just the right section of grey matter, stimulate centres in the brain that control signals sent to your muscles. In the basal ganglia, the engine house of the brain, signals are sent to the body ordering everything from speaking, to swallowing, to walking and touching. When those signals don't get through, or when the instructions get scrambled, the body's reaction can be cruel. It involves implanting thin electrodes into the brain where they emit tiny electrical pulses. The treatment is called deep brain stimulation (DBS). Proof of just how much a little poking around in the brain can achieve. It's a vivid illustration of the before and after effects of my recent treatment for Parkinson's disease. My latest party trick is a real attention grabber. F or more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ. This First Person article is written by Harry Forestell, host of CBC News New Brunswick at Six, who draws upon his experiences with Parkinson's disease. During surgery, the frame was bolted to the surgical table. Before surgery, a metal frame was attached to Harry Forestell’s head to keep it still during an MRI scan.
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