The neurons in this part of the brain are responsible for producing a vital chemical known as dopamine ("Parkinson's Disease: Hope"). Dopamine is a chemical messenger that sends out signals between the substantia nigra and corpus striatum, to present smooth, unfaltering movement ("Parkinson's Disease: Hope"). The dopamine deficit causes an unusual nerve firing inside of the brain, which then results in impaired movement ("Parkinson's Disease: Hope"). .
Even though Parkinson's disease does not change the mental abilities of the individual, it sooner or later lessens their capability to carry out tasks that involve quick, repeated movement and manual dexterity (Ross and Singer). The four main symptoms of Parkinson's disease are tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability ("Parkinson's Disease: Hope"). The tremor linked to Parkinson's disease has a predictable appearance and is generally the first symptom that leads people seeking medical attention ("Parkinson's Disease: Hope"). Although tremor is the least debilitating characteristic of Parkinson's, it is commonly embarrassing to the individual (Ross and Singer). Rigidity is categorized as difficulty to move and affects most people with Parkinson's ("Parkinson's Disease: Hope"). The muscles continuously stay tense and contracted so that the person aches or feels stiff ("Parkinson's Disease: Hope"). .
Bradykinesia is the slowing down of extemporaneous movement and causes the person to no longer be able to quickly accomplish regular activities, such as washing and dressing ("Parkinson's Disease: Hope"). This is the most debilitating characteristic of Parkinson's disease as it decreases communication by typical indications; leads to a clumsy walk, lacking the ability to swing the arms when normally walking; and creates frozen facial expressions in later stages (Ross and Singer).
