Parkinson's Disease 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which neurotransmitter is primarily deficient in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease?
- Serotonin
- Dopamine (Correct answer)
- Acetylcholine
- GABA
Correct answer: Dopamine
Parkinson's disease results from the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra.
Question 2: What are Lewy bodies, which are a hallmark pathological finding in Parkinson's disease?
- Plaques of amyloid protein
- Abnormal aggregates of alpha-synuclein protein (Correct answer)
- Neurofibrillary tangles of tau protein
- Damaged myelin sheaths
Correct answer: Abnormal aggregates of alpha-synuclein protein
Lewy bodies are clumps of misfolded alpha-synuclein protein that accumulate inside neurons and are the defining pathological feature of Parkinson's disease.
Question 3: Parkinson's disease is classified as which type of neurological disorder?
- Autoimmune disorder
- Neurodegenerative disorder (Correct answer)
- Infectious prion disease
- Demyelinating disorder
Correct answer: Neurodegenerative disorder
Parkinson's is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, meaning neurons gradually deteriorate and die over time.
Question 4: Which brain region is most affected by neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease?
- Cerebral cortex
- Hippocampus
- Substantia nigra (Correct answer)
- Cerebellum
Correct answer: Substantia nigra
Parkinson's disease is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.
Question 5: At approximately what percentage of dopamine neuron loss do motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease typically appear?
- 10–20%
- 30–40%
- 60–80% (Correct answer)
- More than 90%
Correct answer: 60–80%
Motor symptoms typically emerge only after 60–80% of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra have been lost, indicating significant reserve capacity.
Question 6: Which of the following is considered the most common initial motor symptom of Parkinson's disease?
- Balance problems
- Resting tremor (Correct answer)
- Muscle rigidity
- Postural instability
Correct answer: Resting tremor
A resting tremor—typically in the hand or fingers—is the most common presenting motor symptom of Parkinson's disease.
Question 7: What is bradykinesia, a cardinal feature of Parkinson's disease?
- Involuntary muscle contractions
- Slowness of movement (Correct answer)
- Loss of balance
- Abnormal posture
Correct answer: Slowness of movement
Bradykinesia refers to slowness of movement and is one of the three cardinal motor features of Parkinson's disease alongside tremor and rigidity.
Parkinson's Disease 2
Which neurotransmitter is primarily deficient in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease?