Parkinson's Disease vs Alzheimer's

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM2003ra020003

Alzheimer's
- Long-term memory loss
- Most prevalent form of dementia
- No cure
- believed to be caused by beta amyloids
- accumulates tau protein in the form of neurofibrillary tangles

Parkinson's
- resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability
- Second most prevalent
- believed to be caused by mutation in LRRK2
- accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein in the brain in the form of Lewy bodies  http://www.pdonlineresearch.org/pdguide/park14-sncaalpha-synuclein
- http://www.pdonlineresearch.org/
- dopaminergic (DA) neuron degeneration

- mitochondrial dysfunction - mtDNA deletions are detected in aged DA neurons due to oxidation http://www.springerlink.com/content/e2w286484498651g/fulltext.html
- cell loss in the substantia nigra zona compacta (SNc)
- review article Pihlstrøm, Lasse, and Mathias Toft. “Genetic Variability in SNCA and Parkinson’s Disease.” Neurogenetics 12, no. 4 (November 2011): 283–293.


http://www.allaboutparkinsons.com/early-onset-parkinsons.html

http://caring-for-alzheimers.com/alzheimers-versus-parkinsons-disease.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_disease

Parkinson's Disease: Why Dopamine Replacement Therapy Has a Paradoxical Effect on Cognition
Symptoms can also affect cognition and mood and may even lead to depression. According to Health Canada, it is estimated that 1 in 100 Canadians over age 60 are diagnosed with this condition. The direct and indirect costs associated with Parkinson's disease exceed $450 million a year.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615015057.htm

http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2011/05/the_parkinsons_mystery.html

Peter A LeWitt et al. AAV2-GAD gene therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, sham-surgery controlled, randomised trial. The Lancet Neurology, 17 March 2011 DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(11)70039-4
http://www.sciencedaily.com
/releases/2011/03/110316222026.htm

Substantia nigra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substantia_nigra
located in the mesencephalon (midbrain) that plays an important role in reward, addiction, and movement. Substantia nigra is Latin for "black substance", as parts of the substantia nigra appear darker than neighboring areas due to high levels of melanin in dopaminergic neurons. Parkinson's disease is caused by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20110621/LIFESTYLE/106210313/Column-Parkinson-s-disease-has-many-causes

There are many causes for Parkinson's disease. The most common is aging. There is also a strong genetic correlation, as approximately one-fourth of all people with Parkinson's have a relative with this disease. Unfortunately, as with most diseases in which there is a strong genetic basis, there are some relatives who die before the disease manifests itself.

Parkinson's disease can also be the result of a neurological injury from exposure to an environmental agent, which can also cause neurodegeneration in the brain. Some of these culprits include exposure to pesticides and herbicides such as exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

Deep brain stimulation has been in use for over 20 years and has helped more than 80,000 people worldwide. The method has been used widely in Europe, but was only approved in the U. S. in 2002.

http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/news/20110624/new-genetic-clues-to-cause-of-parkinsons


Park LOCI (PARK1-PARK16)
Summary of "PARK" Loci and of linkage regionsimplied by Genome-wide linkage analysis
http://www.pdgene.org/linkage.asp