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Parkinson's Disease: Overview01:15

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Neurodegenerative disorders are progressive diseases that cause irreversible damage and loss to neurons in specific brain areas. Examples of these disorders include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). These disorders share characteristics such as proteinopathies, selective neuronal vulnerability, and a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. The primary therapeutic goal for these conditions is...
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Parkinson Disease: An Evolutionary Perspective.

Pedro J Garcia-Ruiz1, Alberto J Espay2

  • 1Department of Neurology, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, Madrid, Spain.

Frontiers in Neurology
|May 17, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Parkinson disease (PD) is uniquely human due to expanded dopamine pathways. Its increasing prevalence is linked to reduced physical activity and longer lifespans over human history.

Keywords:
Parkinson diseasedopaminergic fieldevolutionary approachlife expectancyphysical activity

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human history

Background:

  • Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting dopamine-producing neurons.
  • The disease's prevalence and unique manifestation in humans warrant evolutionary investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the evolutionary origins and increasing prevalence of Parkinson disease (PD).
  • To investigate why PD appears to be a human-specific condition.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative neuroanatomy analysis between humans and other mammals.
  • Historical epidemiological data review concerning life expectancy and lifestyle changes.

Main Results:

  • Humans exhibit significantly expanded mesostriatal dopamine pathways compared to other mammals, creating a potential evolutionary vulnerability.
  • Increased human life expectancy and reduced physical activity associated with modern lifestyles correlate with rising PD prevalence.

Conclusions:

  • The unique expansion of human nigrostriatal axonal arborization may explain PD's selective fragility and human specificity.
  • Decreased physical activity, impacting neurotrophic factor release, may contribute to the historical increase in Parkinson disease prevalence.