Like a Log

Follow-up on Your Patient: You immediately suspect that [George] has Parkinson disease because of his shuffling gait and unilateral resting tremor. Your examination reveal[ed no]  cogwheel rigidity in [his]upper [left] extremity. [He reported micrographia and dysphonia]. His cognitive testing is normal. You tell [him he]  has Parkinson’s disease and discuss starting treatment with levodopa-carbidopa. […] He agrees and begins treatment immediately. One month later in follow-up [he] reports that the medication has helped [him] immensely. [He] has been able to continue working much as [he] has become accustomed to. You arrange to see [him] on a regular basis to monitor [his] symptoms and medication.

What is ”Off” Time in Parkinson’s Disease

https://www.fepblue.org/-/media/FEPBlue-Sitecore-10-Media/PDFs/October%20Policies/Pharm-Replace/560039%20Nourianz%20istradefylline.pdf

Opqrst  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPQRST

Dopamine agonists act directly on the dopamine receptors and mimic dopamine’s effect.[1] Dopamine agonists have two subclasses: ergoline and non-ergoline agonists. Both subclasses target dopamine D2-type receptors. Types of ergoline agonists are cabergoline and bromocriptine and examples of non-ergoline agonists are pramipexole, ropinirole and rotigotine

parkinsons-treatment-29399.com

Hypokinesia

Parkinson’s disease

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

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_disease_dementia

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376062

  >> Alpha-synuclein clumps are a hallmark sign of Parkinson’s disease. The test accurately identified people with Parkinson’s disease 87.7% of the time.  ..The test is called an alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay.

Levodopa, the most effective Parkinson’s disease medicine, is a natural chemical that passes into the brain and is converted to dopamine. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/carbidopa-and-levodopa-oral-route/before-using/drg-20095211    

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substantia_nigra

The substantia nigra is an important player in brain function, in particular, in eye movement, motor planning, reward-seeking, learning, and addiction.!!!!

Pars compacta /SNpc : Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons in this region.[1]

There’s also Cannabinoidergic, or cannabinergic, means “working on the endocannabinoid neurotransmitters“. As with terms such as dopaminergic and serotonergic, related proteins and cellular components involved endocannabinoid signaling, such as the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor, as well as exogenous compounds, such as phytocannabinoids or other cannabinoids which modulate the activity of endocannabinoid system, can be described as cannabinoidergic.[1]

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

Degeneration of pigmented neurons in this region [SN] is the principal pathology that underlies Parkinson’s disease and this depigmentation can be visualized in vivo with Neuromelanin MRI.[9] 

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

CBN is thought to interact with other kinds of neurotransmission (e.g., dopaminergic, serotonergic, cholinergic, and noradrenergic).

    

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

the current opinion in pharmacology is that dopamine instead confers motivational salience;[6][7][8] 

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective semipermeable border of endothelial cells that regulates the transfer of solutes and chemicals between the circulatory system and the central nervous system, thus protecting the brain from harmful or unwanted substances in the blood.[1]

l-DOPA crosses the protective blood–brain barrier, whereas dopamine itself cannot.[7] 

 

To bypass these effects, it is standard clinical practice to coadminister (with l-DOPA) a peripheral DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor (DDCI) such as carbidopa (medicines containing carbidopa

    

In work that earned him a Nobel Prize in 2000, Swedish scientist Arvid Carlsson first showed in the 1950s that administering l-DOPA to animals with drug-induced (reserpine) Parkinsonian symptoms caused a reduction in the intensity of the animals’ symptoms. 

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

As a consequence, high levels of dopamine lead to high levels of motor activity and impulsive behavior; low levels of dopamine lead to torpor and slowed reactions.[50]

Recent advances have demonstrated that glial cells, specifically microglia and astroglia, are involved in several neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and ..

  

American Parkinson’s Disease Association

Those dark neurons produce a specific type of neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger that allows neurons to communicate) called dopamine. The neurotransmitter dopamine helps to regulate movement. This loss of dopamine is the reason that many treatments for nParkinson’s Disease are intended to increase dopamine levels in the brain. Future research will hopefully tell us more about alpha-synuclein?    < website of APDA

In addition to decreases in dopamine and the cells that make dopamine, you might also read or hear about alpha-synuclein (AL-fa-sin-NUKE-lee-un). We do not yet know what this protein does in the healthy brain, but in Parkinson’s disease it clumps up in what are called Lewy (LOO-ee) bodies

 Urinary frequency and urgency in PD are most caused by abnormal innervation of the bladder resulting in overactivity of the bladder muscle called the detrusor muscle. This muscle contracts excessively even though it is not filled with urine. This causes an increased urge to urinate and/or an increased frequency of urination, which can be especially prominent at night.

  Ten Tips to put the Freeze on Freezing!

1. Try another movement – raise an arm, touch your head, point to the ceiling; then re-start
2. Change direction: if you can’t move forward, try stepping sideways first, and then go forward
3. Carry a laser pointer in your pocket; when you freeze – shine the laser in front of your foot and step on the light – this visual cue can help you re-start.
4. Visualize an object on the ground in front of you and try to step over it.
5. Wear a metronome on your belt or carry a small one in your pocket – turn it on and the external beat can help you re-start.
6. Try humming a song and time your re-start with the beat of the music
7. Count “1-2-3-go” and then step forward
8. Shift your weight from side to side to help initiate taking a step
9. March in place a few times and then step forward
10. Don’t fight the freeze by trying harder to step forward – shift your attention from moving the legs to moving the arms – then resume walking forward

Symptoms of Parkinson’s | APDA

Parkinson’s & Personality Changes | APDA

They are likely to become increasingly more prominent and new traits may arise. Although we may be uncomfortable looking at Parkinson’s Disease as a condition that changes who we are, it makes sense to do so. We already recognize the disease to be a life-changer but may wish to consider that part of the reason is because it can change who we are.

Essential tremor is either an action (intention) tremor—it intensifies when one tries to use the affected muscles during voluntary movements such as eating and writing—or it is a postural tremor, present with sustained muscle tone. This means that it is distinct from a resting tremor, such as that caused by Parkinson’s disease, which is not correlated with movement.[7

Cognitive science

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

Even if the technology to map out every neuron in the brain in real-time were available and it were known when each neuron fired it would still be impossible to know how a particular firing of neurons translates into the observed behavior

There is some debate in the field as to whether the mind is best viewed as a huge array of small but individually feeble elements (i.e. neurons), or as a collection of higher-level structures such as symbols, schemes, plans, and rules. The former view uses connectionism to study the mind, whereas the latter emphasizes symbolic artificial intelligence. One way to view the issue is whether it is possible to accurately simulate a human brain on a computer without accurately simulating the neurons that make up the human brain.

  Research methods borrowed directly from neuroscience and neuropsychology can also help us to understand aspects of intelligence. These methods allow us to understand how intelligent behavior is implemented in a physical system.

• Single-unit recording
• Direct brain stimulation
• Animal models
• Postmortem studies  

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

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

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

Steven Pinker claims that the cognitive revolution bridged the gap between the physical world and the world of ideas, concepts, meanings and intentions. It unified the two worlds with a theory that mental life can be explained in terms of information, computation and feedback.[8i

Cognitive science is actually a science of only one part of the mind, the part that has to do with thinking, reasoning, and intellect. It leaves emotions out. “And minds without emotions are not really minds at all…”[31]

The authors argue that connectionist models were closer to symbolic models than to neurobiology.[27]

Notes on Parky

parkinsons-treatment-29399.com

Hypokinesia

cParkinson’s disease

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

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_disease_dementia

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376062

  >> Alpha-synuclein clumps are a hallmark sign of Parkinson’s disease. The test accurately identified people with Parkinson’s disease 87.7% of the time.  ..The test is called an alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay.

Levodopa, the most effective Parkinson’s disease medicine, is a natural chemical that passes into the brain and is converted to dopamine. 

Mayo Clinic specialists study genetics, diagnosis and treatment options for people with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. You may have the opportunity to participate in research  studies and clinical

Watch Mayo Clinic neurologist J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., Ph.D., describe Parkinson’s disease treatment on YouTube.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/carbidopa-and-levodopa-oral-route/before-using/drg-20095211    

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substantia_nigra

The substantia nigra is an important player in brain function, in particular, in eye movement, motor planning, reward-seeking, learning, and addiction.!!!!

Pars compacta /SNpc : Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons in this region.[1]

There’s also Cannabinoidergic, or cannabinergic, means “working on the endocannabinoid neurotransmitters“. As with terms such as dopaminergic and serotonergic, related proteins and cellular components involved endocannabinoid signaling, such as the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor, as well as exogenous compounds, such as phytocannabinoids or other cannabinoids which modulate the activity of endocannabinoid system, can be described as cannabinoidergic.[1]

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

Degeneration of pigmented neurons in this region [SN] is the principal pathology that underlies Parkinson’s disease and this depigmentation can be visualized in vivo with Neuromelanin MRI.[9] 

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

CBN is thought to interact with other kinds of neurotransmission (e.g., dopaminergic, serotonergic, cholinergic, and noradrenergic).

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

the current opinion in pharmacology is that dopamine instead confers motivational salience;[6][7][8] 

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective semipermeable border of endothelial cells that regulates the transfer of solutes and chemicals between the circulatory system and the central nervous system, thus protecting the brain from harmful or unwanted substances in the blood.[1]

l-DOPA crosses the protective blood–brain barrier, whereas dopamine itself cannot.[7]  

To bypass these effects, it is standard clinical practice to coadminister (with l-DOPA) a peripheral DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor (DDCI) such as carbidopa (medicines containing carbidopa

In work that earned him a Nobel Prize in 2000, Swedish scientist Arvid Carlsson first showed in the 1950s that administering l-DOPA to animals with drug-induced (reserpine) Parkinsonian symptoms caused a reduction in the intensity of the animals’ symptoms. 

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

As a consequence, high levels of dopamine lead to high levels of motor activity and impulsive behavior; low levels of dopamine lead to torpor and slowed reactions.[50]

Recent advances have demonstrated that glial cells, specifically microglia and astroglia, are involved in several neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and ..

Neuromodulation of Glial Function During Neurodegeneration

Most people can’t see beyond their own language, let alone language itself.  / La plupart des gens ne peuvent pas voir au-delà de leur propre langue, encore moins de la langue elle-même. / Die meisten Menschen können nicht über ihre eigene Sprache hinaus sehen, geschweige denn über die Sprache selbst.

Language is a barrier to  … reality. But a permeable, sieve-like one. One analogy is the blood-brain barrier (BBB)5

Speaking of hobbies, I just realized I gave up aikido for neuroscience

I had slways looked at us as a species, certainly not a gift of (or to) God.

Rebels without a cause always appealed to me more than rebels with one .  I did try out causes, of course. Not surprisingly, they didn’t work out.

Thr rightwing / the left a bunch of  swarmy wimps. Who do you think will win?  

“Swarmy” is not from Yiddish but I swear I’ve heard it yiddishized into “schwarmy”.

Reading neuroscience is like reading a foreign language I’m not proficient at. I tend get the drift but miss words, esp the acronyms and names of chemicals. When these lapses accumulate to the point I don’t follow anymore, I have go back and work on my vocabulary. Practice makes perfect. [?’d on 25 Sep] 

Just as I was reading about the important roles sodium and potassium play in neurotransmission, I got a message from Kaiser showing that my test results for both of them, liver related, plus creatinine which is kidney related, are resolutely  normal. That is, Levadopa has not adversely affected my blood chemistry. Good news. [sms’d to nr 26 Sep]  

https://alteritas.net/pastis/headstone-2/  

Was I more psycho- than sociopath?
Hard to say. The twain do almost meet.
Cautiously, I trod the strait path
between, kept my missteps discreet.

Poetry is a tail trying to wag the dog of reality

Love weighs its price

I get vertigo when I think about my past life, and when I imagine the future lives  of those younger than I

The jargon of science ….

How much marijuana / cannabis / THC mangles elementary math. 

Austria is a delightfully alcoholic country but this does have unfortunate consequences

Ah age! When the seat of pleasure becomes source of pain.

Using my return to Montréal as a source of meditation abt my political stance then and now

Once I got over his hippie-like attachment to the idea of beards, a moment which ironically coincided with the physiologicsl  capacity of growing one.

What does it mean to be “born into”….

Sometimes an almost religious sense  of awe settles over me when I contemplate the neurological complexity of the brain, in which electrochemical machine consciousness is truly a ghost.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_machine  [X’d 1 Oct]