Stiff limbs and trembling in quiet sitting can be signs of the disease. But at a diagnosis on the basis of these symptoms, doctors reach evidently in the late stage of the disease, with a loss of function of nerve cells in the brain. “At the time of diagnosis is 50 to 80 percent of the critical cells, the dopamine neurons are called, already dead,” said Xuemei Huang of Penn State Hershey College of Medicine. The neurologist says that earlier diagnosis could improve the healing chances.

Irregular movement in the test demonstrated

The medical examiner believed to have occurred in patients an irregular arm swing. To scientifically verify their conjecture, they compared the course of twelve patients with Parkinson’s eight healthy individuals. Huang and her colleagues had asked the Parkinson’s patients before the test, temporarily discontinue their medications, lest they influence the results.

Eight digital cameras recorded the movement sequences of the test subjects had attached to their bodies, the researchers reflecting elements to track the positions of individual body parts independently of one another can. A computer program calculated the magnitude of the arm swing and recorded the movements of both arms at different walking speeds.

Neurological illnesses such as Parkinson, ADHS or the Tourette syndrome decrease/go back to a disturbance in dopamine transport. On the responsible person obviously also estrogen influence take DAT protein. That would explain, why there is a sex-specific difference for the time of the occurrence or the degradation of the illnesses.

Women for neurological disturbances are particularly susceptible during puberty, a pregnancy or in the change years. In these periods of life it comes to substantial hormone fluctuations. Therefore Rebecca Alyea and Cheryl Watson of the university of Texas in Galveston examined the influence of the estrogen on the nerve courses, particularly for the signal paths of the nerve messenger material Dopamine. They used for it nerve cells of rats, which had receptors for three natural estrogen.

Estrogen impairs dopamine transport

The female scientists determined an intensive interrelation of the estrogen receptors with the DAT protein, which removes normally surplus Dopamine from the connections between the nerve cells. estrogen obstructed the dopamine evacuation, which is important for healthy nerves.

“The connection of estrogen and DAT activity can supply new realizations in addition, like much sex and life phase on DAT dependent nerve illnesses affects themselves”, summarizes Cheryl Watson the study result. “That could lead also to new therapies against disturbances, which are connected with strong hormone fluctuations, approximately against the childbed depression.”