The excessive presence of Lewy bodies, coupled with the deterioration of dopaminergic neurons, are considered to be hallmarks of Parkinson’s. (3) This pathological process results in difficulties with thinking, movement, mood and behavior. Within the PD brain there are an inordinate number of Lewy bodies – intracellular aggregates of difficult to break down protein clusters – that cause dysfunction and demise of neurons. Paraquat, an herbicide sprayed by the DEA in anti-marijuana defoliant operations in the United States and other countries, resembles a toxicant MPTP, which is used to simulate animal models of Parkinson’s for research purposes. Pesticide exposure and traumatic brain injury are linked to increased risk for PD. As dopaminergic neurons become damaged or die and the brain is less able to produce adequate amounts of dopamine, patients may experience any one or combination of these classic PD motor symptoms: tremor of the hands, arms, legs or jaw muscle rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk slowness of movement (bradykinesia) and /or impaired balance and coordination (postural instability).Īdditional symptoms include decreased facial expressions, dementia or confusion, fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression, constipation, cognitive changes, fear, anxiety, and urinary problems. Parkinson’s Disease is most associated with compromised motor function after the loss of 60-80% of dopamine-producing neurons.
Uncontrolled PD significantly reduces the patient’s quality of life and can render a person unable to care for themselves, trapped in a body they cannot control. Over 96 percent of those diagnosed with PD are over 50 years old with men being one-and-a-half times more likely to have PD than women. It is the second most common neurological disorder (after Alzheimer’s Disease).
Parkinson’s affects an estimated 10 million people worldwide, including one million Americans. By acting as an “inverse agonist” at the GPR6 receptor, CBD boosts dopamine levels in preclinical studies.
This finding suggests GPR6 could have a role in the treatment of Parkinson’s, a chronic, neurodegenerative disease that entails the progressive loss of dopaminergic (dopamine-producing) neurons and consequent impairment of motor control. It has been shown that a depletion of GPR6causes an increase of dopamine, a critical neurotransmitter, in the brain. GPR6 is considered an “orphan receptor” because researchers have yet to find the primary endogenous compound that binds to this receptor. Laun at the 2017 meeting of the International Cannabinoid Research Society in Montreal disclosed that CBD activates a G-coupled protein receptor called “ GPR6” that is highly expressed in the basal ganglia region of the brain. Click on any column you would like to read.Scientists at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky have identified a previously unknown molecular target of cannabidiol ( CBD), which may have significant therapeutic implications for Parkinson’s Disease ( PD).Ī poster by Zhao-Hui Song and Alyssa S. About that time, everything started to become digital, and now I have digital copies of those since 1992 that I am able to include here. The columns from 1982 to about 1992 are published in my book, Lucky Strikes Again. I began writing a bi-monthly column for IEEE Spectrum Magazine in 1982, and my column has appeared every other month ever since. IEEE Spectrum Magazine Reflections columns by Robert Lucky
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