Emotional Trauma And Parkinson’s Disease

Take Care Of Your Mental Health

About half of all people with Parkinsons deal with some sort of mood disturbance, such as depression or anxiety, at some point. These mental disorders will only further compound the problems of Parkinsons, so its critical to get needed treatment, possibly medicine or counseling from a mental health professional.

How Can Parkinsons Disease Cause Depression

For many people, the challenges of Parkinsons disease are enough to cause depression.

But scientists believe that depression in Parkinsons might also come from changes to certain chemicals in the brain:

• Dopamine.

• Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed.
• Losing interest in eating or taking care of yourself.
• Moving or talking too slow.
• Thinking a lot about dying or wishing to die.

What Is Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease in which your brain cells that produce dopamine start to die, which causes you to gradually lose muscle control. No matter your age, Parkinsons can seem like a scary thing, but thankfully, with the right care, the symptoms of Parkinsons can be manageable.

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Oxidative Stress Neuroinflammation And Parkinsons Disease

Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the body capacity to counteract their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidant defenses . Brain neurons are constantly exposed to reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species as a result of endogenous or exogenous exposure to oxidative stress . Chronic psychological stress increases neuroinflammation which may facilitate nigral cell death in PD . For instance, under stress conditions, there is evidence that dysfunction of inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor -, interleukin -1, IL-6, IL-10, transforming growth factor – in microglia of patients with depression participates in worsening PD symptoms .

PD research is often directed towards the prevention of DA neuron degeneration . However, all current treatments only address the symptomatic effects of the disease, none of which neither halt nor retard DA neuron degeneration . About 95% of PD cases are sporadic hence caused by environmental factors versus 5% that are inherited . The point of view in favor of exposure to stressful events early in life predisposing an individual to develop neurodegenerative disorders later in life seems to emphasize that PD is much more than just a DA-dependent motor deficit.

How To Cope With Parkinsons Disease At Home

You may wish to make practical arrangements to help you feel more in control of your disease. Here are some tips for coping with Parkinson’s disease at home.

• Improve your sleep health: Make sure your bedroom is set up for sleep. Remove technology devices and other stimulants and try to make your bed a calm sanctuary where you can get the rest you need.
• Keep a medication chart: You may have to take several different medications at a time, so keeping a chart will help you stay organized.
• Ask for help: Find someone you can call on for help when you need it, such as a friendly neighbor, family member or friend.
• Remove hazards: As your Parkinson’s progresses, you may find it difficult to move around freely. You may also experience frozen or shuffling gait, which can catch you off-guard. Make sure to remove trip hazards and fall risks from the home to minimize the chance of injury and ease your anxiety.

As difficult as it may seem, many people find ways to live successful and happy lives with Parkinson’s disease. It may take a while to find the right medication to control your symptoms, and it might not be the whole answer. However, there will be a route through this, and you can find new ways to make your life enjoyable and meaningful

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The Impacts Of Shock Trauma

My studies of the Vagus Nerve naturally led me down a path to learning about how trauma disrupts or “dysregulates” the human Nervous System, and what the outcomes of this are. At first, I considered trauma just as a shocking or near death event, such as being attacked or an accident. Exploring this in my own case, I had a revelation through recall of a hidden memory from when I was thirteen of a near drowning event, from which I was only saved at the last minute, after my Nervous System had already given up and I was sinking, my body and brain immobilzed, which is explored in

When The Mighty Oak Falls

“One of my major themes of interest right now concerns common patterns of behaviors and personality traits in those of us who go on to develop movement disorders and chronic illnesses, all of which I now see as coming under the umbrella term “Nervous System Dysregulation”. My evidence is not clinical, but is gleaned from talking and sharing of experiences with hundreds of people who have or have had such health issues themselves, from all over the world. In other words, it is gleaned from the real world of people like me, and it comes from asking the right questions which haven’t been postulated before.

What I’ve found in the background histories, time and again, is that in many of those of us who become “dysregulated” or “disordered” have in the prelude to our health issues, tended to make ourselves into Mighty Oaks trees, isolated and standing alone in a field. The origins of this seems in many cases to arise in the acorns of rejection, abandonment and unrequited love. In order to protect ourselves from such harms in the future, we become fiercely independent, black belts at emotional “self-defence”. We take on more and more responsibility on to our own shoulders, , we begin to refuse to accept or ask for help from others and become the worlds worse delegators.

Then the hurricane comes. An event we have no control over. We don’t break. We are uprooted wholesale. We simply fall over.

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Anxiety And Parkinsons Research

What does this finding mean for the future of diagnosis or treatment of Parkinsons? Ongoing research is compelling, says Pontone. Part of what we are doing is looking at anxiety disorders that occur long before the onset of Parkinsons to see if there are characteristics that may differentiate that anxiety or predict an increased risk of Parkinsons disease.

Meanwhile, because theres an established link between anxiety and Parkinsons disease, patients and their families should be upfront with their doctors about anxiety symptoms. Behavioral therapy and medications for example, anti-anxiety meds or antidepressants can effectively treat anxiety disorders. Theres no need for anyone to suffer in silence.

Noradrenaline Hypothesis Of Depression

Noradrenaline is known to play a role in the regulation of emotions . The deficiency of noradrenaline/norepinephrine mainly produced in the locus coeruleus and affecting certain brain areas such as the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus or the hypothalamus has been associated with depression . Studies have shown that exposure to chronic stress including early maternal separation decreases noradrenaline levels within the brain leading to depression . This explains why selective norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors , a new class of antidepressants that work by increasing norepinephrine levels in the brain, have been used to treat depression .

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The Psychological Impact Of Parkinsons Disease

A critically important aspect of Parkinsons disease is the psychological impact on the victims. The behavioral symptoms include mood changes, perception issues, and slowed cognition.

Caregivers need to know and understand these additional PD symptoms to be able to effectively support the person.

Major Symptoms

• Dementia/Cognitive Impairment

Depression

There is a long list of possible signs of depression. The depression can have two sources. The first is biochemical and caused by issues with the major neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. The second is the prognosis that comes with the disease. When a person hears that PD is a progressive degenerative disease that will eventually give them an unacceptable quality of life, depression is the result.

Symptoms of clinical depression in general:

• Sad mood for two weeks or more.

• Anhedonia Loss of feel pleasure and disinterest in life activities.

• Weight changes .

• Sleep changes such as trouble falling asleep or waking up and not being able to fall back to sleep easily.

• Activity changes such as wringing of the hands or general restlessness.

• Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or that they are a burden to those around them.

• Trouble concentrating and making decisions. They frequently give up reading.

• Fatigue and/or loss of energy.

• Recurrent thoughts of death and suicide. They say such things as, Life is not worth living, I would be better off dead, I wish I could die in my sleep so I will not have to face tomorrow.

Assessment Of Movement Preparation Initiation And Execution

Visual simple and four choice reaction time tasks were completed, as well as the Purdue pegboard and index finger tapping. On all these tests our patient performed worse than an age matched healthy normal subject and similar to previously published data for elderly patients with Parkinsons disease. For both the SRT and CRT tasks his initiation times were slightly slower and his movement times considerably slower with the right hand compared with the left. Movement related cortical potentials in our patient were compared with a normal age matched subject, and the amplitude of all components was reduced. The MRCPs before left hand movements had a smaller amplitude and more delayed onset, with the early Bereitschaft Potential component possibly being absent, suggesting bilateral deficits in MRCPs.

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Role Of Serotonin In Parkinsons Disease

Studies have shown that the 5-HT transmission system also undergoes degeneration in PD . The neuronal degeneration in the midbrain raphe nuclei is known to lead to reductions in 5-HT and 5-HT transporter levels in brain areas such as the striatum and prefrontal cortex . However, 5-HT neurons have the ability to store and release DA synthesized from systematically administered DA medication such as levodopa . For instance, in a 6-OHDA lesioned rat model of PD with severe nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron degeneration, it has been shown that striatal reuptake of levodopa-derived DA can occur through 5-HT transporters . Further, it has been shown that monoamine transporter inhibitors such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can modify striatal dopamine reuptake and metabolism so as to improve motor symptoms of PD . A new treatment approach for PD may therefore consist of blocking 5-HT transporters to enhance and/or prolong the antiparkinsonian effects of drugs that have the potential to increase extracellular DA in the striatum including SSRIs.

Environmental Toxins And Parkinsons Disease

Neuronal cell death in PD may also be triggered by exposure to toxic substances or environmental factors which precipitate the symptoms of the disease as they render the brain vulnerable to subsequent physiological chronic stress . The environmental cause of PD mainly refers to exposure to dopaminergic toxins 6-hydroxydopamine , 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine , paraquat and rotenone as these toxins are known to induce formation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress which may result in neuronal cell death .

DA is one of the common neurotransmitters present in most parts of the central nervous system . The mesocortical, mesolimbic, nigrostriatal and tubero-infundibular pathways are the four main pathways that play a key role in dopaminergic signaling . DA cannot cross the blood brain barrier, therefore, it is synthesized from tyrosine which is carried into the brain via amino acid transporters . At the dopaminergic neuron level, tyrosine is then converted into dihydroxyphenylalanine by tyrosine hydroxylase then finally into DA by aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase . DA is then stored in the vesicle until an action potential allows the vesicle to be discharged into the synapse . Monoamine oxidase is the enzyme that is responsible for breaking down excess DA and is known to similarly act on 6-OHDA inducing oxidative stress resulting in apoptosis .

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Parkinsons Recovery People Get Better

I am a recently joined member from England. I am so excited about finding your web site and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. There are no words to express my gratitude and excitement. I am really going to enjoy my recovery as it happens day by day. I have always had a little place inside me that says I will figure this out. Now I have found the way with your help and I have regained my drive. It is fantastic!

I have had definite symptoms for 12 years though I have been burdening my mind and body with severe stress for years, mistakenly believing I could handle anything. Then the oak tree collapsed: I was totally exhausted and had no idea. I have been taking requip for 5 years and sinemet for 18 months and am determined to get free of them. I know I will though I dont know details of the how yet. Dont worry I shall be very careful and I have a lot of support. I have learned that relationships are even more important than health.

The things I am doing NOW are:

listening to your radio shows lots of exercise, my dog gets 2 1hr walks per day in beautiful woodland exercise bike stretches and balancing listening to guided meditations really clean healthy diet lots and lots of water singing class nintendo wi writing out and reading poetry aloud eft feldenkrais recording my progress and activities and goals. my writing is loads better already hot and coldshowering every day. The EFT Deft is HUGE for me.

Psychological Stress As A Risk Factor For Parkinson’s Disease

Objective/Rationale: All persons experience psychological stress. In fact, its pervasiveness is the primary cause of countless diseases. Although the impact of psychological stress on Parkinsons disease has yet to be fully defined, there is ample evidence that PD symptoms worsen during times of stress. Therefore, we asked what would happen if a pre-clinical model with a known genetic vulnerability to PD was subjected to chronic psychological stress.

Project Description: In order to address this question, we will subject two types of pre-clinical model to chronic psychological stress beginning two days after birth and ending at the end of adolescence. Three months after the final day of stress we will examine cell death in brain structures affected by PD.

Relevance to Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinsons Disease: Discovering that psychological stress may be a risk factor for PD would be an enormously important finding that may, in part, explain how people across different cultures, environments, etc., eventually develop PD. This observation, coupled with future studies, may indentify a common mechanism shared by the majority of PD patients that can be translated to early diagnostics and new therapeutics.

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What Is The Outlook For Depression With Parkinsons Disease

Many people with Parkinsons disease have depression but dont get help for it. They may not notice their symptoms, or may think the symptoms are unavoidable with Parkinsons.

What they may not realize is that medications, therapy and lifestyle changes can help. Many people find some relief from depression. And that helps reduce their symptoms of Parkinsons disease.

Anxiety As An Early Warning Sign

It may be that anxiety disorders that are diagnosed as much as two decades before Parkinsons disease may be a harbinger of the disease, says Gregory Pontone, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Movement Disorders Psychiatry Clinic. Parkinsons disease, like Alzheimers disease, has what experts call a long approach, he says, and anxiety may be part of that long approach.

One theory is that the anxiety that comes before Parkinsons results from the same underlying changes in brain chemistry and circuitry. Others believe that Parkinsons disease and anxiety share a common genetic risk factor. Either way, taking a closer look at the link can help doctors understand the causes of Parkinsons and treat patients with the disease.

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Get Support For Your Mental Health

You can call our free and confidential helpline on 0808 800 0303.

It’s open Monday-Friday 9am-7pm and Saturday 10am-2pm. Our trained advisers can provide support to anyone affected by Parkinson’s.

You can also contact the Mind Infoline on 0300 123 3393, which is open 9am-6pm, from Monday to Friday.

If you need to talk to someone outside of these hours, Samaritans are free to call 24/7 on 116 213.

There are lots of places where you can connect with people who may be experiencing similar issues to you.

Effect Of Epd Pathology On Emotion Recognition

Because we found no effect of PD therapy type on emotion recognition performance between the ODT and ODT + DBS groups, we combined these two groups into one so that we would be better powered to detect group differences on tasks with HEC. Means ± SD and t-values for HEC and EPD performance on emotion recognition tests are reported in Table 3.

TASIT : T-tests found that EPD patients performed worse than HEC on TASIT overall = 3.70, p = 0.001). Specific affect impairment was found for disgusted, anxious, and neutral. Statistical trends for specific affect impairments were found for sad , happy , and surprised . Group effect remained significant after controling for current IQ = 7.76, p = 0.009). BFRT performance was found to be unrelated to TASIT accuracy = 1.02, p = 0.32).

RMET : EPD patients also performed worse than HEC on RMET = 2.98, p = 0.006). This effect remained significant at trend level = 3.73, p = 0.06) after controling for current IQ. BFRT performance was unrelated to RMET accuracy = 0.04, p = 0.84).

MAV : T-tests showed EPD patients performed worse than HEC on MAV = 2.02, p = 0.05). The groups also diverged in performance for angry = 2.57, p = 0.02), and surprised = 3.24, p = 0.003) conditions. After controling for current IQ, EPD and HEC performed similarly overall on MAV = 0.679, p = 0.42).

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