PARKINSON'S DISEASE NEWS

26th December 2008 - New research

INFANTILE PARKINSONISM

Journal Inherited Metabolic Diseases [2008] Dec 26; [Epub ahead of print] (Pons R.) Complete abstract

Parkinson's Disease is stereotypically assumed to be a medical disorder of old age. The average onset in some countries is the late 50's. So the average age of people with Parkinson's Disease in many countries is in the 60's or older. However, Parkinson's Disease can occur at any age. There are many people with Parkinson's Disease in their 40's, 30's and 20's. There are teenagers and even children with Parkinson's Disease. The first case of juvenile Parkinson's Disease was discovered over a century ago concerned a child who had all the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease who was only 3 years old.

Paediatric neurotransmitter diseases are a group of inherited genetic disorders attributable to a disturbance of neurotransmitter metabolism. Neurotransmitters are substances that initiate the various functions in the brain. Given their various functions, their disorders have a wide variety of manifestations, with physical movement dysfunction being the most prominent clinical feature. The severity of symptoms ranges from mild to severe. The genetic disorder of this kind most closely related to Parkinson's Disease is Tyrosine Hydroxylase Deficiency. For more information go to a Complete Review. Children with this medical disorder are severely disabled from infancy. They have a complete inability to produce L-dopa, a substance whose deficiency is the primary cause of  Parkinson's Disease. This is because Tyrosine Hydroxylase is a chemical that is naturally produced in the brain that is essential for the formation of L-dopa.

Genetic disorders, such as this, are usually examples of a medical disorder at its worst, because the entire biochemical function is completely dysfunctional. In this form of Infantile Parkinsonism there is a complete lack of Tyrosine Hydroxylase. However, in normal Parkinson's Disease, Tyrosine Hydroxylase is present, but the substances it needs to produce L-dopa are deficient. For more information go to the Biochemistry of Parkinson's Disease.

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Parkinson's Disease News details all significant new research, news reports, new books, and new resources concerning Parkinson's Disease and those medical disorders that often coincide with Parkinson's Disease : Parkinsonism, Essential Tremor, Dystonia, Restless Legs Syndrome. It is compiled from an analysis of  all newly published research, news reports, new clinical trials, all newly published books, and new web sites. A summary and analysis of the new research are provided,  as well as links to the complete abstracts and news reports.