Pessimism, Anxiety May Be Tied to Development of Parkinson's Disease

    If you're anxious and pessimistic, you may have a greater chance of developing Parkinson's disease says a new study. "We found a definite association between anxiety and pessimism and Parkinson's disease," said the study's lead author Dr. James Bower, a Mayo Clinic neurologist.

    Parkinson's disease is a disorder that affects nerve cells (neurons) in the part of the brain controlling muscle movement. People with Parkinson's often experience trembling, muscle rigidity, difficulty walking, and problems with balance and co-ordination.

    These symptoms generally develop after age 50, although the disease affects a small percentage of younger people as well.

    "One possibility is that anxiety could potentially cause Parkinson's disease. It's not that anxiety is causing the illness but anxiety and pessimism have some shared common risk factor and it may be a gene which leads to anxiety and Parkinson's disease," Bower said.

    The study found that people who scored in the upper 25% in anxiety and pessimism level on a personality test have a 50 to 60% increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease up to 40 years later.

    "This is the first study that took a group of people with documented personality characteristics but no symptoms of Parkinson's disease and showed that those with high levels of an anxious or pessimistic personality are at higher risk for developing Parkinson's disease," Bower said.

    Although the study demonstrates an association between anxious and pessimistic personality types and Parkinson's, the findings do not provide the exact reason for these links.

  Parkinson's Disease | Today's News