Writeup

        Did you know that over one person out of every hundred people over 55 years of age have Parkinson's disease? In case you are not sure, Parkinson's is a disease that is caused by a lack of Dopamine. I have decided to research the subject of Dopamine which is scientifically known as C8H11NO2. (wiki, Dopamine) The purpose of this project is to inform people about the affects of Dopamine and its purpose. It is very important to learn as much as possible about Dopamine because it plays a huge role in our brain and scientists are constantly doing research and tests with Dopamine to find cure to the many problems it creates, mainly Parkinson's. Although it is not a subject that everybody must learn about, it is a very important topic in the fields of science and medicine because it causes many problems and deaths.


        Dopamine has always been a naturally produced chemical but only recently has it been studied. It was the year 1817 when James Parkinson first described his symptoms as "the shaking palsy." (van den Bosch, 1996; Cone, M.,The parkinson's connection) This disease is now named after him. Later, in 1960, scientists managed to produce a chemical precursor of dopamine called Levodopa or l-dopa. (Society of Neuroscience, 1990) The history of Dopamine is quite dark because of all the suffering it has caused, but things are beginning to look brighter now. Dr. Anders Bjorklund (Sweden) transferred dopamine cells from unborn rats to adult rats, which is just a test at the moment but it might prove helpful in the future.(Restak: The brain, 1984) Also in the last few years, Donald B Calne, a Canadian, came up with a chemical called 'synthetic dopamine' but it has not really been tested yet because it is too new.


        When was the last time you moved some part of your body? Well this movement would not be possible if you did not have any Dopamine in your brain. When looking at the brain you can find dopamine in three different circuits because it plays a role in movement, regulating emotional responses and schizophrenia. (Society of Neuroscience, 1990).

Dopamine has many affects on the brain but things have been found that can help create new dopamine if necessary. The first of these things is Levadopa and the second is synthetic dopamine. Synthetic dopamine is a fairly new treatment so there is very little information about it but it was invented by a Canadian named Donald B. Calne. Dr. Calne is a neurologist who specializes mainly in the study of Parkinson's. Over the years he has published over 500 papers and chapters on neurological subjects and he has written four books (one as a joint author) and he has edited nine books. (Donald B. Calne) His work has been recognised by many important groups and the use of synthetic dopamine is beginning to increase.

Movement is the first and the largest circuit that dopamine controls. It is actually a mixture of dopamine and acetylcholine that control all fine muscle movements. (Encyclopedia of Health, 2003) There are many problems with this circuit because there are many diseases including Parkinson's, which causes rigidity, muscle tremors and difficulty in movement. This is not caused by an excess or a change in the dopamine, it is caused by a lack of dopamine. (Society of Neuroscience, 1990, Restak: The brain; Encylopedia of Health, 2003) It is thought that the dopamine deteriorates which is why there is a lack of it. (van den Bosch, 1996) Actually, scientists noticed that patients with Parkinson's have lost 60 to 80 per cent of their dopamine producing neurons in a part of the mid-brain called the substantia nigra. (Cone, M.,The parkinson's connection) Degenerating brain cells are not the only way to have a lack of dopamine; other ways include various drugs, repeated injuries, brain tumors, and now they have found that pesticides can also target the same neurons, but in most cases the reason is unknown. (Encylopedia of Health, 2003) The main problem with the movement section is the dangerous diseases like Parkinson's. Parkinson's disease begins as trembling hands, stiffening in muscles and some trouble walking.

                        After a while longer the affected person begins to have head shakes, trouble writing and speaking, low blood pressure and then it finally affects the brain. It has been found that some people have such low blood pressure that they faint frequently and that every 3 in 10 people develop dementia. (Encylopedia of Health, 2003) Doctors have found that the best ways to fight this disease is by maintaining a good diet and exercising regularly or by using Levadopa, also known as L-dopa. (Encyclopedia of Health, 2003)


        Next, it is also thought that dopamine controls many emotional responses. (Society of Neuroscience, 1990) These emotional responses also tie into schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality. (Dictionary.com) Schizophrenia in the brain is caused by a lack or excess of dopamine. There are two different types of symptoms, positive and negative. Some symptoms like delusions, hallucinations (usually auditory), extreme emotions and incoherent thoughts and speech are considered to be positive because they are altered behaviors that are present in the body. Other symptoms are lacking and are therefore called negative symptoms, such as a lack of emotion, action and social interaction.