Parkinson's Disease: Some Words You Need to Know
Antioxidant: a chemical that prevents damage to cells in your body
Bradykinesia: slowness of movement
Dopamine: a chemical substance (neurotransmitter) found in the brain that sends impulses from one nerve cell to another and
regulates movement, balance, and walking; the substance that is lost in PD
Dopamine Agonist: drugs that imitate the effects of dopamine
Dyskinesia: the most common and disruptive side-effect of PD medications; an involuntary movement that can accompany peak
doses of levodopa
Levodopa: the most effective anti-Parkinson drug which is changed into dopamine in the brain and usually combined with
carbidopa as Sinemet
Neurologist: a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the nervous system (*In this book we often use the
word doctor instead of neurologist)
Off Time: when people with Parkinson's have a decrease in their ability to move and have other symptoms that make it hard to
get up from a chair, to speak, walk, or perform their usual activities (*can also be called “down” time); happens because the person's dose of
levodopa has worn off too soon or has suddenly and unexpectedly stopped working.
Parkinsonian or Parkie: a person with Parkinson's disease
PD: short form for Parkinson's disease
|