Parkinson's disease afflicts over one million people in the United States. This disabling disease is the result of the destruction of neurons producing dopamine. Dopamine is vital to our normal every day functions; from how you move your body, to how your mind controls your thoughts. As the disease progresses most patients notice an increase in motor and cognitive issues. It can be devastating to lose control of your body and mind in this way.
Currently, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease with limited treatment options. The most common treatment for disease management and symptom relief is the medication known as Levodopa or L-Dopa. L-Dopa attempts to replace the lost dopamine. However, there are many common side effects experienced by most Parkinson's patients because of the nature of how dopamine works in the body. There are many kinds of receptors in the body that respond to dopamine; L-Dopa binds to dopamine receptor sites throught the body not just the brain, where it is needed due to neuron destruction. What this means to someone afflicted with Parkinson's disease is that the body is flooded with dopamine causing over activation of some dopamine receptor sites triggering headaches, coordination issues, dry mouth, etc.
Neurology Diagnostics Research has a Parkinson's disease study with a new medication targeting particular dopamine receptors that are critical to the disease. The research proposes Parkinson's disease patients will experience reduced side effects of dopamine therapy. We are hopeful this will be a breakthrough in the world of Parkinson's disease.
Other ongoing Parkinson's related research studies at Neurology Diagnostics aim to reduce hallucinations, freezing, falls, and memory loss. If you or someone you know has Parkinson's disease and are interested in furthering research in Parkinson's disease, please contact our Research team as we are actively enrolling participants.
