Biomedical Informatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biomedical Informatics - Essay display caseHistorians have found evidence of the disease as far back as 5000 B.C. It was first describe as the shaking palsy in 1817 by British doctor James Parkinson. Because of paralysis agitans ahead of time work in identifying symptoms, the disease came to bear his name.In the normal wizard, some nerve cells produce the chemical substance dopamine, which transmits signals within the caput to produce smooth movement of muscles. In Parkinsons patients, 80 percent or more of these dopamine-producing cells atomic number 18 damaged, dead, or otherwise degenerated. This causes the nerve cells to fire wildly, leaving patients unable to control their movements. Symptoms normally show up in one or more of four waysThis diagram of the brain shows several structures related to Parkinsons disease. Basal ganglia affect normal movement and walking substantia nigra ar types of basal ganglia that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, which sends messages th at control muscles. The globus pallidus is part of a larger structure connected to the substantia nigra affecting movement, balance and walking. The thalamus serves as a relay station for brain impulses, and the cerebellum affects muscle coordination.Though full-blown Parkinsons can be crippling or disabling, experts say early symptoms of the disease may be so subtle and gradual that patients sometimes ignore them or attribute them to the effects of aging. At first, patients may line up overly tired, down in the dumps, or a little shaky. Their speech may become salving and they may become irritable for no reason. Movements may be stiff, unsteady, or unusually slow.Ref www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1998/498_pd.html - basic PD research over the last several decades, including contractables, molecular and cellular biology, characterization of neural circuitry, brain anatomy, and neurochemistry, has formed the basis of therapeutic research being currently pursued for PD. While the cause s of PD are still not fully understood, the most prevalent theories suggest that toxic accumulation of protein in cells, dysfunctional protein clearance, and oxidative stress that leads to cell death are primary causal pathways. There is now genetic evidence for each of these pathways, and a prevailing research strategy is to identify points in these pathways that could be victimised for therapeutic benefit. Todays basic science research continues to span a diverse array of fields, from genes and molecules, through cells and physiologic systems, to the role of the environment and its interaction with genetic susceptibility. It is expected that these studies will continue to inform preventive strategies and let on treatments for PD in the future. The Genetics and Cell Biology of Parkinsons disease One of the most rummy transformations in PD research over the last decade was the identification of the first gene to be associated with PD, -synuclein. The discovery that genetic mutat ions could cause PD brought a sea change to a field that had antecedently focused only on environmental causes of the disease. Since the discovery of alpha synuclein in