Encephalitis Lethargica
Encephalitis Lethargica (EL) was an infectious disorder that has now been forgotten. From 1917 to 1928, encephalitis lethargica was epidemic worldwide. During this time, millions of people died from causes related to the disease.
The main theory on the cause of encephalitis lethargica is that it results from a strong immune system reaction to an infection by bacterium related to streptococcus. Research has shown that antibodies have bound themselves to neurons in the basal ganglia and midbrain in EL patients.
The symptoms of encephalitis lethargica often begin with a high fever, headache, and sore throat. Other symptoms follow, including tremors, muscle pains, double-vision, severe weakness, and a slowing of physical and mental response. Behavioral and personality changes often appeared- including psychosis and hallucinations- followed by steadily increasing drowsiness and lethargy. Many became comatose and completely unresponsive.
One very common problem to befall people recovering from the sleepy sickness was Postencephalitic Parkinson's disease. This caused life-long symptoms such as slowness, tremors, speech problems, and abnormal muscle movement. In some cases, individuals retained their hearing, intelligence, and reasoning, but were left in a catatonic state, unable to respond to stimuli. This parkinsonism sometimes took up to a year to appear in recovered patients.
The main theory on the cause of encephalitis lethargica is that it results from a strong immune system reaction to an infection by bacterium related to streptococcus. Research has shown that antibodies have bound themselves to neurons in the basal ganglia and midbrain in EL patients.
The symptoms of encephalitis lethargica often begin with a high fever, headache, and sore throat. Other symptoms follow, including tremors, muscle pains, double-vision, severe weakness, and a slowing of physical and mental response. Behavioral and personality changes often appeared- including psychosis and hallucinations- followed by steadily increasing drowsiness and lethargy. Many became comatose and completely unresponsive.
One very common problem to befall people recovering from the sleepy sickness was Postencephalitic Parkinson's disease. This caused life-long symptoms such as slowness, tremors, speech problems, and abnormal muscle movement. In some cases, individuals retained their hearing, intelligence, and reasoning, but were left in a catatonic state, unable to respond to stimuli. This parkinsonism sometimes took up to a year to appear in recovered patients.
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's Disease is a neurological disorder caused by the lack of dopamine in the brain. Parkinson's Disease is characterized by neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra, associated with loss of dopaminergic neurons and loss of motor control.
Dopamine has been implicated in movement systems, and too little of this neurotransmitter will result in decreased ability to control movement. In severe cases, the patient may stop moving altogether, as in Awakenings. The problem seems to be localized in tracts running from the brainstem into the basal ganglia- brain areas containing a great number of dopamine-secreting cells.
Other of the observable symptoms of Parkinson's disease may include: cognitive decline, dementia, daytime sleepiness, depression, anxiety, compulsive behavior, paranoia, hallucinations, loss of balance, problems with eating or speaking, urinary incontinence, or loss of smell. While motor dysfunction reflects faulty dopamine signaling in the basal ganglia, other symptoms may result from problems elsewhere in the brain. In fact, PD has been described as a progressive neurodegeneration that begins in the olfactory nucleus in the forebrain and moves to involve different parts of the mid-brain, including the basal ganglia.
Dopamine has been implicated in movement systems, and too little of this neurotransmitter will result in decreased ability to control movement. In severe cases, the patient may stop moving altogether, as in Awakenings. The problem seems to be localized in tracts running from the brainstem into the basal ganglia- brain areas containing a great number of dopamine-secreting cells.
Other of the observable symptoms of Parkinson's disease may include: cognitive decline, dementia, daytime sleepiness, depression, anxiety, compulsive behavior, paranoia, hallucinations, loss of balance, problems with eating or speaking, urinary incontinence, or loss of smell. While motor dysfunction reflects faulty dopamine signaling in the basal ganglia, other symptoms may result from problems elsewhere in the brain. In fact, PD has been described as a progressive neurodegeneration that begins in the olfactory nucleus in the forebrain and moves to involve different parts of the mid-brain, including the basal ganglia.