Alpha-synuclein: a protein that builds up in certain nerve cells in certain brain regions of people with PD and related conditions
Anosmia: a loss of the sense of smell
Anticholinergics: a class of drugs often used for the management of PD, typically as adjunct medications to other, standard PD therapies; used to reduce the tremor of PD or ease the problems associated with the wearing off of levodopa therapy
Apathy: a lack of enthusiasm and motivation for daily activities
Binge eating disorder: an eating disorder characterized by overconsumption of food
Bradykinesia: a slowness of movement; a common motor symptom of PD
Care partner: a person, such as a close family member or a friend, who supports an individual with a chronic medical condition
Cognitive: pertains to thought processes, such as memory, attention, concentration, and judgment
Cognitive behavioral therapy: a form of psychotherapy used to treat depression and anxiety that focuses on challenging unrealistic thoughts and replacing them with more realistic ones
Compulsion: a very strong desire, hard to control, to do something repeatedly
DaTscan: an imaging test used to detect dopamine function in the brain; can help differentiate essential tremor from idiopathic PD and other disorders that cause tremor
Deep brain stimulation (DBS): involves the use of embedded pulse generators to suppress the motor symptoms of PD, thereby allowing for a reduction in medication; surgical option for people with advanced PD who have tried a number of different medication regimens for their motor symptoms
Degeneration: a process by which cells, like neurons, break down to eventually die
Dopamine: a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that enables movement; brain levels of dopamine fall in certain brain regions in people with PD
Dopamine agonists: drugs that mimic the action of dopamine
Dopaminergic medication: drugs that aim to compensate for dopamine deficiency
Dopaminergic neurons: neurons producing dopamine
Dyskinesia: involuntary movements caused by long-term levodopa therapy
Dysphagia: a difficulty moving food from the mouth to the esophagus
Dystonia: involuntary and sustained muscle contractions
Essential tremor: a neurologic movement disorder in which tremor is the major symptom. Tremor is typically an action tremor, rather than the rest tremor of PD
Erectile dysfunction: an inability to get or maintain a sufficient erection for satisfactory sex
Heimlich’s method: a technique that frees the airways in case of suffocation or choking
Hypersexuality: a big sexual appetite, frequent and intense sexual urges
Hyposmia: a reduced sensitivity to odors
Gastrostomy: an intervention consisting of connecting the stomach to the skin through an orifice through which food is delivered
Gene: element made up of DNA fragments that conditions the transmission of a hereditary character
Genetic mutation: a change in the DNA sequence of a cell that can appear spontaneously, or following exposure to hazardous substance
Genetic therapy: a type of treatment that involves putting genes into individual’s cells to treat a disease
General neurologist: a physician who is trained to diagnose and treat neurologic disorders
Impulsiveness: a tendency to act without thinking about the consequences of one’s actions
Lewy bodies: clumps of protein (alpha-synuclein) found in the nerve cells in certain brain regions of people with PD and related conditions
Micrographia: a slow and small handwriting
Motor fluctuations: periods of well-being followed by periods of blockage or involuntary movements
Motor symptoms: symptoms that primarily involve movement
Movement disorder: a neurological condition that affects movement
Movement disorder specialist: a physician, typically a neurologist, who has undergone further training to diagnose and treat movement disorders
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): an imaging technique that allows physicians to see the structure of the brain
Nervous system: a system of the human body that includes the brain, spinal cord and nerves
Neurons: nerve cells which transmit messages in the brain
Neurotransmitter: a brain chemical that allows neurons to communicate with one another
Stem cells: cells from which all the other cells develop. They are cells that can transform into any types of cells.
Non-motor symptoms: symptoms that do not primarily involve movement
Off time: periods when treatments are not providing control of symptoms
Orthostatic hypotension: a decreased blood pressure when changing from lying or sitting to standing
Pallidotomy: a surgery that induces damage to the globus pallidus, a region of the brain, to reduce dystonia, a side effect of PD drugs, usually as adjunct to other standard PD therapies; used to reduce PD tremor or relieve problems associated with wearing off of levodopa.
Parkinsonian syndromes: movement disorders that are not idiopathic PD but have some overlapping symptoms, such as rigidity and slowness of movement (bradykinesia)
Resting tremor: a tremor that occurs when still; a hallmark of PD
Substantia nigra: meaning “black substance” in Latin, a region in the base of the brain that contains dopamine-producing neurons, which appear dark under a microscope; people with PD experience cell loss in this region
Thalamotomy: a surgery that induces a damage to the thalamus, a region of the brain, to reduce tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease
Work allowance: a physical or intellectual task agreed between the employer and the employee
