Q :Why doesn’t the death of dopamine receptors in the substantia nigra in Parkinson’s not affect the other dopamine receptors in the brain which deal with motivatiom, reward and addiction?
A That’s an interesting question! In Parkinson’s disease, the death of dopamine receptors specifically in the substantia nigra occurs because of the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in that region. This leads to a decrease in dopamine levels in the brain, which in turn affects motor control and movement.
However, it’s important to note that the dopamine receptors involved in motivation, reward, and addiction are distributed throughout various regions of the brain, including the mesolimbic pathway. These receptors are not primarily affected in Parkinson’s disease because the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra is specific to that region.
In other words, the death of dopamine receptors in the substantia nigra in Parkinson’s disease does not directly impact the dopamine receptors involved in motivation, reward, and addiction because they are located in different regions of the brain.
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Pretty impressive. But there is something tautological about it. (Maybe all human meaning is tautological.)