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Date of Award
Spring 2022
Degree Name
Master of Medical Science (Physician Assistant)
Department
Physician Assistant; College of Health Sciences
First Advisor
Sophie Farley MMS, PA-C
Abstract
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive movement disorder characterized by the degeneration of dopamine producing neurons in the substantia nigra. The loss of these neurons results in the characteristic symptoms of PD such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, shuffling gait, and postural instability among others. While these are perhaps the better-known symptoms of PD, patients with the condition often present with autonomic dysfunction years prior to the diagnosis. The precise etiology of PD has long been elusive, however, recent research has re-examined the possibility of microbes underpinning the development of the disease. If microbial infection could account for an origin of PD, it may also explain the early, non-neurological symptoms of the disease.
Recommended Citation
Kozicz, Ashleigh, "Parkinson’s Disease: Exploration of Microbial Origins and the Future of Treatment" (2022). Capstone Showcase. 74.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2022/pa/74
Parkinson’s Disease: Exploration of Microbial Origins and the Future of Treatment
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive movement disorder characterized by the degeneration of dopamine producing neurons in the substantia nigra. The loss of these neurons results in the characteristic symptoms of PD such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, shuffling gait, and postural instability among others. While these are perhaps the better-known symptoms of PD, patients with the condition often present with autonomic dysfunction years prior to the diagnosis. The precise etiology of PD has long been elusive, however, recent research has re-examined the possibility of microbes underpinning the development of the disease. If microbial infection could account for an origin of PD, it may also explain the early, non-neurological symptoms of the disease.