MANAGING PARKINSON'S DISEASE AT EVERY STAGE
Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Acetylcholine (as-SEAT-ul-KO-leen)
A chemical messenger (neurotransmitter) involved in many brain functions, such as memory and control of motor activity.
Action tremor
A tremor that occurs with activity.
Adjunctive
A term used to describe medicines that are given with other medicines for improved therapy.
Akinesia (ah-kin-EE-shya)
Inability to move ("freezing") or difficulty beginning or maintaining movement.
Anticholinergics (ANTI-kole-in-NER-jiks)
Medicines used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as rigidity and tremor.
Apoptosis (uh-pop-TOE-sis)
A form of cell death in which cells shrink and disappear. With Parkinson's disease, some scientists believe that the nerve cells in the brain die by this mechanism.
Ataxia
Difficulty with walking and balance.
Athetosis (a-thi-TOE-sis)
Slow, repetitive, involuntary movements of the hands and feet.
Autonomic nervous system
The system that controls internal body functions.
Basal ganglia (BASE-ul GANG-lee-uh)
Large clusters of neurons deep within the brain. These are responsible for voluntary movements, such as walking and movement coordination.
Blepharospasm (BLEF-uh-ro-spazz-um)
Involuntary, forced closing of the eyelid caused by abnormal nerve impulses.
Bradykinesia (BRADY-kin-EE-shya)
The slowing down of movement.
Carbidopa
A drug used in combination with levodopa to treat Parkinson's disease.
Central nervous system (CNS)
The brain and spinal cord, which play an important role in coordination and movement control.
Chorea (KOR-ee-uh)
Rapid, jerky, dance-like movement of the body.
COMT inhibitors
Medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease by helping improve the delivery of levodopa to the brain.
COMTAN® (entacapone)
A drug that blocks the breakdown of dopamine in the brain. It may be used in combination with a levodopa-carbidopa preparation.
Dementia
Loss of intellectual abilities.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
A surgical treatment for Parkinson's disease. With DBS, an electrical current is applied to a targeted area deep within the brain through the use of an implanted electrode and an external battery source.
Dopamine (DOPE-uh-meen)
A chemical produced in the brain that helps control movement. People with Parkinson's disease have abnormally low levels of dopamine in their brains.
Dopamine agonist
A drug that mimics the effects of dopamine by directly stimulating the dopamine receptors in the brain.
Dysarthria (dis-AR-three-uh)
Difficulty forming or pronouncing words.
Dyskinesia (DIS-kin-EE-shya)
Nonpatterned, twisting, turning, or other involuntary movement. This can be caused by medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease.
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing.
Dystonia
Involuntary muscle spasms that cause abnormal movements and body positions.
Essential tremor
A tremor disorder of a limb (usually hand) present when the limb is active.
Extrapyramidal symptoms (extra-per-AM-i-dul)
The group of symptoms that result when the part of the brain that controls movement is damaged or affected by disease. These types of symptoms, which include rigidity and tremor, are common in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Fluctuating
Deteriorating response to medicine at the end of a dosing period.
Freezing
A temporary, involuntary inability to move.
Globus pallidus
A group of nerve cells in the brain affecting movement, balance, and walking; often used as a target for pallidotomy or DBS.
Half–life
The time it takes for the concentration of a drug in the bloodstream to decrease by one half. A drug with a shorter half-life must be taken more often.
Hallucination
A sensory perception that is not caused by an environmental or external stimulus and occurs while one is awake. Visual hallucinations are possible side effects of medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease.
Hypokinesia (high-po-kin-EE-shya)
Lessened or slowed movement.
Idiopathic
Arising from an obscure or unknown cause
Incontinence
Involuntary voiding of the bladder or bowel.
Lesion
An area of cell damage. In Parkinson's disease, lesions are created in the brain as a type of therapy to help relieve movement disorders.
Levodopa (L-dopa)
A drug that is converted into dopamine in the brain. It is the drug most commonly used (in combination with carbidopa) to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (Sinemet®).
Lewy bodies
Abnormal structures seen in dying nerve cells of people with Parkinson's disease.
Micrographia
Small, cramped handwriting. A sign of Parkinson's disease.
MIRAPEX® * (pramipexole dihydrochloride)
A dopamine agonist used for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Learn more
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors
A class of medicine used to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Motor complications
Uncontrolled fluctuations in motor control that progressively worsen with length of disease. These often occur with long-term use of levodopa.
Myoclonus (MY-o-KLO-nus)
Abrupt, jerking movements of the muscles, often during sleep.
Neurodegenerative
Refers to conditions–like Parkinson's disease–that involve loss of cells in the central nervous system.
Neurologist
A physician specializing in disorders of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles, including Parkinson's disease.
Neuron
A cell that sends electrical impulses, which carry information from one part of the brain to another.
Neurosurgeon
A doctor who operates on the brain and central nervous system.
Neurotransmitter
A chemical substance that carries electrical impulses from one nerve cell to another.
Neurotrophic factors
Substances that nourish nerve cells.
Norepinephrine (nor-ep-eh-NEF-rin)
A neurotransmitter involved in regulating the involuntary nervous system, especially blood pressure and heart rate.
On-off effect
A change in a patient's condition with occasional rapid fluctuations between mobility and Parkinson's disease symptoms. This is caused when antiparkinsonian medicines are working and then wear off.
"On" time
The period during which medicine generally controls symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
"Off" time
The period during which patients experience a partial or total return of symptoms of Parkinson's disease, despite taking medicine to control it.
Pallidotomy (pal-ih-DOT-uh-me)
A surgical procedure in which lesions are produced in the globus pallidus region of the brain to lessen Parkinson's symptoms.
Palsy
An old-fashioned term used to describe paralysis or uncontrollable shaking of the body. Parkinson's disease was once called "the shaking palsy."
Paralysis agitans
Old-fashioned name for Parkinson's disease.
Parkinsonism
A generic term for slowness and mobility disorders. These typically have symptoms of tremor, rigidity, and postural problems. Parkinson's disease is one of them.
Parkinson's disease
A disorder of the nervous system. It is caused by decreasing amounts of dopamine in the brain. Learn more
PET scan
Shortened term for positron emission tomography. It is a method used to take 3D pictures of regions in the brain and other parts of the body.
Pill-rolling
One of the characteristic, slower tremors, in the fingers of patients with Parkinson's disease. The thumb and forefinger have alternating movements, as if they were rolling a small object between them.
Postural instability
Problems with balance and coordination that can cause people to lean forward or backward. It can also cause patients to fall easily.
Replacement drugs
Medicines designed to compensate for a lack or deficiency of a certain natural substance. This problem can be caused by certain dysfunctions, losses, or inadequate nutrition. In Parkinson's disease, patients are given levodopa as a way to correct a lack of dopamine in the brain.
Requip® (ropinirole)
A dopamine agonist indicated for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
Rigidity
Stiffness or inflexibility of the limbs and joints.
Side effect
An effect of a drug that is not the main or intended effect. Some common side effects of drugs that treat Parkinson's disease include dyskinesia, dizziness, nausea, hallucination, and sleepiness.
Sinemet® (levodopa-carbidopa)
A drug to treat the symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson's disease. It is the most commonly prescribed branded version of levodopa.
Stalevo® (carbidopa, levodopa, and entacapone)
A drug to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Striatum
Also known as the corpus striatum. This is the largest component of the basal ganglia in the brain. It controls movement, balance, and walking.
Substantia nigra
The part of the brain where dopamine is made.
Subthalamic nucleus (STN)
A nerve center near the substantia nigra. This area is targeted for deep brain stimulation to reduce Parkinson's symptoms.
Symmetrel® (amantadine hydrochloride)
Originally discovered as a medicine to treat the flu, it is now used occasionally to treat Parkinson's disease.
Thalamotomy
A surgical procedure in which cells in the thalamus are destroyed so that tremor may be improved.
Thalamus
A mass of nerve cells located deep in the brain. This area is responsible for motor control and is a relay center for sensory signals that travel from the spinal cord to the brain.
Titration
A gradual increase of dosage under a doctor's supervision; the goal is to determine the dose that is effective for the individual patient.
Tremor
Involuntary shaking of a limb, the head, mouth, tongue, or the entire body due to muscle contractions.
Wearing-off effect
The tendency for a dose of medicine to be effective for shorter and shorter periods of time as the disease progresses.
Young Onset Parkinson's Disease (YOPD)
A form of Parkinson's disease which occurs before age 40.
*Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., uses the Mirapex® trademark under license. The other trademarks referenced above are owned by third parties not affiliated with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
