AIMS Neuroscience (Nov 2022)

Depression and Parkinson's disease: a Chicken-Egg story <br>Running title:Running Title: Parkinson's disease and Depression follow each other

  • Ashok Chakraborty ,
  • Anil Diwan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3934/Neuroscience.2022027
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 4
pp. 479 – 490

Abstract

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease, however, besides the motor symptoms, such as rest tremor, hypokinesia, postural instability and rigidity, PD patients have also non-motor symptoms, namely neuropsychiatric disorders. Apart from the required motor symptoms, psychopathological symptoms are very common and include mood disorders, anxiety disorders, hallucinations, psychosis, cognitive deterioration and dementia. The underlying pathophysiological process in PD is mainly due to the loss of dopaminergic neural cells and thereby causes the shortage of nigrostriatal dopamine content in them. In addition, it may involve other neurotransmitter systems such as the noradrenergic, serotonergic, cholinergic and noradrenergic systems as well. Depression can result from any unhealthy conditions making the diagnosis a challenging task. The manifestation of depression associated with or without PD is inadequate. The co-occurrence of depression and PD often leads to the conceptual discussion on whether depressive symptoms appear before or after PD develops. This paper will discuss the conceptual mechanism of PD and depression. Keep in mind both conditions belong to two separate entities but share some similar aspects in their pathophysiology.

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