Published in International review of neurobiology
The discovery that neurosteroids could be synthesized de novo in the brain independent from the periphery and display neuronal actions led to great enthusiasm for the study of their physiological role. Pharmacological studies suggest that neurosteroids may be involved in several physiological processes, such as learning and memory. This chapter sum...
Published in International review of neurobiology
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a neuromodulator that is widely expressed throughout the central nervous system (CNS) and which is cosecreted with classic neurotransmitters including GABA and glutamate. There is a long history of research implicating a role for NPY in modulating neurobiological responses to alcohol (ethanol) as well as other drugs of abuse...
Published in International review of neurobiology
Parkinson's disease (PD) is now known to be a multisystemic and multipeptide neurodegenerative disorder, whereby patients have an array of symptoms both motor and nonmotor. Nonmotor features of PD have been shown to arise almost 15-20 years prior to motor symptoms and, as such, are also a key determinant to the quality of life of a patient. Therefo...
Published in International review of neurobiology
The spectrum of sleep problems in Parkinson's disease (PD) is broad. These symptoms are recognized as being clinically relevant by the PD patients and may seriously affect their quality of life. Some studies reveal the occurrence of sleep disorders in more than half of the PD patients. The etiology is multifactorial and it mainly involves the degen...
Published in International review of neurobiology
Among the nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), cognitive impairment is one of the most common and devastating. Over recent years, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has become a recognized feature of PD (PD-MCI). The underlying mechanisms which influence onset, rate of decline, and conversion to dementia (PDD) are largely unknown. Adding to ...
Published in International review of neurobiology
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is defined as "the perception and evaluation by patients themselves of the impact caused on their lives by the disease and its consequences." HRQoL is conceptualized as a combination of physical, psychological, and social well-being in the context of a particular disease. Following earlier studies revolving on...
Published in International review of neurobiology
Deficit of striatal dopamine was first discovered in postmortem brain of patients with Parkinson's disease in 1960. This observation was the starting point for dopamine replacement therapy, and successful introduction of high dose l-dopa therapy in the 1969 revolutionized the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Since then, constant attempts have been...
Published in International review of neurobiology
Motor symptoms are core features of Parkinson's disease, while nonmotor symptoms are present from the prodromal stage. Management strategies for the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease have been widely researched and there have been many advances. Therapy has evolved from oral therapy to once a day to nonoral strategies, both for rescue and for i...
Published in International review of neurobiology
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. There is widespread consensus that Parkinson patients, their carers, and clinicians involved in their care would benefit from a fully integrated, need-based provision of palliative care. However, the concept of palliative care in Parkinson's disease is still poorly d...
Published in International review of neurobiology
Cognitive decline is now recognized as a common nonmotor symptom of Parkinson's disease, and it has been the subject of increasing research in recent decades. Cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease can be distinguished as dopaminergically mediated executive dysfunction seen in the milder stages vs a global dementia syndrome that can occur with d...
