One of those aging issues that is talked about is Parkinson’s Disease. PD happens to more men than women, more whites than African or Asian descended and increases with age. For those few unacquainted with the condition, a small part of the brain that regulates movement, called the substantia nigra, atrophies in a Parkinson patient’s brain. The usual symptoms are tremors or “pill rolling” sometimes starting on one side. Shuffling gait and stooped posture are a result of changes in balance. Eventually the person stops having control over starting and stopping motion. The face becomes mask like and the voice may soften or hush.
Recent studies link family members with dementia, especially Alzheimer’s type, to PD. They are very different diseases though. Memory changes with AD are different than the cognitive changes that may occur in late PD- attention rather than language tasks are measurably different. About 30% to 60% have memory changes after 70. Depression is also a concern. Swallowing can become an issue. It is easier to swallow something thick, like juice, than something thin, like water.
There is no cure for PD but there are a lot of treatment options. I read the other day that Parkinsonian rats get some relief from nicotine. There is a reduced incidence of PD with high cigarette and caffeine intake. The protection holds after stopping so there is no reason not to quit smoking, now! It is well established that some medications affect the ability to inhibit behavior; brain implants in PD patients have caused impulse disorders as well. This has led to compulsive gambling among other problems for some patients. Sinemet and other medications often give the person with Parkinson’s a cycle of time where their control is “on or “off.” At one hour they may be thrashing about quite a bit, later the control of movement is very good. In Belgium they have a rating scale to estimate driving safety for PD sufferers. There are a number of other conditions that can easily be confused with PD so be sure a qualified physician diagnoses and treats the symptoms. More info can be found at www.michealjfox.org.