Levadopa and Postural Instability

Parkinson’s – Books – NCBI

Parkinson’s – Books – NCBI      Wonderful index linking to many topics:

Levodopa (L-Dopa) – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

> To increase the bioavailability of levodopa and decrease its side effects, it is often administeredd in combination with peripheral decarboxylase inhibitors (such as carbidopa and benserazide). Dopamine decarboxylase inhibitors prevent the conversion of levodopa to dopamine in the periphery, allowing for more levodopa to cross the BBB.

Postural instability > https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560906/

 > The specific etiology of postural instability is difficult to identify because it is a heterogeneous disorder, and there is much ground left to uncover regarding knowledge of the pathogenesis of the disease.[1]  > This supports that the pathology is non-dopaminergic. As the basal ganglia are perturbed in Parkinson disease

> routine measurement of 25-OH vitamin D3 levels may be helpful and should be completed in all patients newly diagnosed with Parkinson disease  

> A narrow-based or festinating (hurrying) pattern of the walk would suggest a Parkinsonian gait, in which MRI of the brain could be useful.[1]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770017/

< Because of this, it has been determined that lesions in non-dopaminergic systems possibly contribute to postural instability in Parkinson disease ….

< Posturalx instability is associated with poor prognosis. Frequent falling is correlated to postural instability and can result in broken bones and hospitalization. Dopaminergic treatment has not been shown to be effective. In patients with mild-moderate Parkinson disease, postural instability and gait difficulty is an important determinant of quality of life. It is a major contributor to disability in patients in Parkinson disease.[2][23

The theory of hypodopaminergic pathology has been extended to a multisystem neurodegeneration, cortical amyloid deposition [31], differential disruption of the corpus callosal fibers [38], and periventricular white matter hyperintensities [39] to name a few.

Nancy’s youtube:   https://m.youtube.com/watchv=fbzCaEHyRiY&feature=youtu.be

Using functional MRI, music neuroscientists have established that actively listening to rhythm activates the supplementary motor area of the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia in the deep brain, both of which are important for generating voluntary movements <

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1320515/

https://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/what-is-hypomimia

Gut and Brain

Central and peripheral innate and adaptive immunity in Parkinson’s disease

scitranslmed.adk3225.pdf

>  Instead, PD can be considered to be a chronic inflammatory systemic disease  

Alpha synuclein potentially connects the gut-brain axis in Parkinson’s disease patients. Common inherited Parkinson disease is associated with mutations in the alpha-synuclein (SNCA) gene. In the process of seeded nucleation, alpha-synuclein acquires a cross-sheet structure similar to other amyloids. [27

< wiki alpha-synuclein

 

> Identification of RORγt+ MHCII+ antigen- presenting cells in the gut has raised the possibility of systemically regulating gut immune tolerance in early life to prevent or reduce the risk of PD development. …

 We need to harness this information to identify those individuals at higher risk of PD because of their genetics, environmental exposures, and lifestyle choices, as well as individuals in the prodromal stages who could be treated with immunomodulatory interventions to delay, slow, or arrest progression of the disease from the periphery to the CNS. 

Parkinsonism and carbon monoxide intox?

ChatGPT : Carbon monoxide poisoning and Parkinson’s disease both produce similar effects on the substantia nigra. Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that can interfere with the normal functioning of the brain, including the substantia nigra. This region of the brain is responsible for producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in movement and coordination. When the substantia nigra is damaged or affected, dopamine production is disrupted, leading to symptoms similar to those seen in Parkinson’s disease. These symptoms may include tremors, muscle stiffness, and difficulty with movement. While the causes of Parkinson’s disease are still not fully understood, carbon monoxide poisoning provides a clear example of how damage to the substantia nigra can result in similar effects. 

Solvents and Parkinson disease: A systematic review of toxicological and epidemiological evidence

The Brain Lesion Responsible for Parkinsonism After Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The Brain Lesion Responsible for Parkinsonism After Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

A partial list of famous people with Parkinson’s:

  • Muhammad Ali, boxer (boxing-induced)
  • Johnny Cash, singer
  • Michael J. Fox, actor
  • Estelle Getty, actress
  • Billy Graham, evangelist
  • Pauline Kael, film critic
  • Deborah Kerr, actress
  • Janet Reno, former U.S. Attorney General
  • George Roy Hill, 81, director
  • Michael Redgrave, 77, actor
  • Pope John Paul II, 84, pope
  • Terry-Thomas, 79, actor

    

https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Parkinsons-Disease#:~:text=Parkinson’s%20disease%20is%20a%20progressive,an%20important%20chemical%20called%20dopamine.

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_expression

 

Speciphony

My interest in writing in creoles was sparked by a poem in Sranantongo,

A closet Buddhist | But comparatist at heart

The gas heater we used to huddle around

Mon eau, je l’aime gazeuse

Chicken in cream 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0WdKgSuxmD/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Poulet à la moutarde!

AI should =  algorithmic not artificial intelligence. 

For one thing, it helps rid us of the silly dualism of the mind / matter dichotomy, here the illusion that human intelligence is natural. [X’d on 6.11.23]  

For another, it opens the door to there bring many kinds of intelligence (< Latin intelligentum, meaning to discern, from inter + legere, to choose or pick out).

 

Intelligence is from the Latin intelligentum, meaning to discern or comprehend, from inter + legere, to choose or pick out, from or between. Dictionary definitions of intelligence include the ability to acquire and retain knowledge, learn, grasp truths and patterns, reason, and apply all this toward solving problems. Intelligence defined this way may include understanding, if by understanding we mean a capacity to discern relationships and appreciate connections. There is no mention here of mind, mentality, or consciousness. By this definition, intelligence does not include awareness, inner subjective experience, or sentience. If intelligence is defined in this way, then machines have become very intelligent indeed, and there is no end in sight.

< foundational concepts 

The ability to create and deploy powerful weapons, a result of our sophisticated intelligence and ability to understand the world through physical and mathematical reasoning, has formed a deadly marriage with our primal capacity for fear and violence.

< FCN, David E Presti ucberkeley Neuroscience of consciousness, mind-matter relation, psychopharmacology, psychedelic science, clinical treatment of addiction.

“I admit to having used prostitute, for that matter I have prostituted myself. I’m not sure everyone else has but know that everyone does” < Christopher Marrow

 In the 70s I aspired to the Montréal bilingual elite which currently attracts such hated by the Westen riff-raff and simular deplorables.

Pharma

Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic.[10] It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome.[10] It may also be used to cause memory loss during certain medical procedures.[11][12] It can be taken orally (by mouth), as a suppository inserted into the rectum, intramuscularly (injected into muscle), intravenously (injection into a vein) or used as a nasal spray.[6][12] When injected intravenously, effects begin in one to five minutes and last up to an hour.[12] Orally, effects begin after 15 to 60 minutes.[13

Gabapentin is recommended as a first-line treatment for chronic neuropathic pain by various medical authorities.[7][8][26][27] This is a general recommendation applicable to all neuropathic pain syndromes except for trigeminal neuralgia, where it may be used as a second- or third-line agent.[8][27]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_neuralgia

Gabapentin is effective in treating sleep disorders such as insomnia and restless legs syndrome that are the result of an underlying illness, but comes with some risk of discontinuation and withdrawal symptoms after prolonged use at higher doses.[34]

Zhittya believes that this same drug that proved efficacious in the heart, could treat Parkinson’s disease, where recent evidence has demonstrated that a lack of blood flow to parts of the brain could be the initiating cause of Parkinson’s disease. < angiogenesis 

c1ccccc1C2=NCC(=O)N(C)c3ccc(Cl)cc23

c1ccccc1C2=NCC(=O)N(C)c3ccc(Cl)cc23

Human Connectome Project |  Mapping the human brain connectivity

Human Connectome Project |  Mapping the human brain connectivity

We’re more curious about ourselves than we are about each other

What part of the brain deals with honour and revenge?

Criiminology and neurology, what a combo!

REM sleep is procesing the previous day’s events, laying down tracks of memory.

 Caelun non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt

https://www.latin-is-simple.com/en/vocabulary/phrase/253/

1000101=69

The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating certain metabolic processes and other activities of the autonomic nervous system. It synthesizes and secretes certain neurohormones, called releasing hormones or hypothalamic hormones, and these in turn stimulate or inhibit the secretion of hormones from the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, important aspects of parenting and maternal attachment behaviours, thirst,[3] fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms ( <Wiki)       

The subthalamus is located ventral to the thalamus, medial to the internal capsule and lateral to the hypothalamus. It is a region formed by several grey matter nuclei and their associated white matter structures, namely:[3]

 

Zen and the Brain

 Zen-Brain Reflections: Reviewing Recent Developments in Meditation and States of Consciousness Hardcover – February 1, 2006

by James H. Austin (Author) 

A sequel to the popular Zen and the Brain further explores pivotal points of intersection in Zen Buddhism, neuroscience, and consciousness, arriving at a new synthesis of information from both neuroscience research and Zen studies.

This sequel to the widely read Zen and the Brain continues James Austin’s explorations into the key interrelationships between Zen Buddhism and brain research. In Zen-Brain Reflections, Austin, a clinical neurologist, researcher, and Zen practitioner, examines the evolving psychological processes and brain changes associated with the path of long-range meditative training. Austin draws not only on the latest neuroscience research and new neuroimaging studies but also on Zen literature and his personal experience with alternate states of consciousness.

Zen-Brain Reflections takes up where the earlier book left off. It addresses such questions as: how do placebos and acupuncture change the brain? Can neuroimaging studies localize the sites where our notions of self arise? How can the latest brain imaging methods monitor meditators more effectively? How do long years of meditative training plus brief enlightened states produce pivotal transformations in the physiology of the brain? In many chapters testable hypotheses suggest ways to correlate normal brain functions and meditative training with the phenomena of extraordinary states of consciousness.

After briefly introducing the topic of Zen and describing recent research into meditation, Austin reviews the latest studies on the amygdala, frontotemporal interactions, and paralimbic extensions of the limbic system. He then explores different states of consciousness, both the early superficial absorptions and the later, major “peak experiences.” This discussion begins with the states called kensho and satori and includes a fresh analysis of their several different expressions of “oneness.” He points beyond the still more advanced states toward that rare ongoing stage of enlightenment that is manifest as “sage wisdom.”

Finally, with reference to a delayed “moonlight” phase of kensho, Austin envisions novel links between migraines and metaphors, moonlight and mysticism. The Zen perspective on the self and consciousness is an ancient one. Readers will discover how relevant Zen is to the neurosciences, and how each field can illuminate the other. < Amazon blurb