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Friday, February 10, 2012
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Issue 3
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VOLUME 1
ISSUE 3
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Glossary
Activities of daily living (ADL): Functions that are typically performed as part of a person's daily routine, such as dressing, bathing, eating, toileting, participating in leisure activities, socializing, and other functions of daily living.
Autosomal-dominant trait: Human traits, including an individual's eye color, hair color, or expression of certain diseases, result from the interaction of one gene inherited from the father and one gene from the mother. In autosomal-dominant disorders, the presence of a single copy of a mutated gene may result in the disease. In other words, the mutated gene may dominate or "override" the instructions of the normal gene on the other chromosome, potentially leading to disease expression. Individuals with an autosomal-dominant disease trait have a 50% risk of transmitting the mutated gene to their children.
Basal ganglia: Specialized nerve cell clusters of gray matter deep within each cerebral hemisphere and the upper brainstem, including the striate body (caudate and lentiform nuclei) and other cells groups such as the subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra. The basal ganglia assist in initiating and regulating movement.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS): Deep brain stimulation uses an implanted electrode to deliver continuous high-frequency electrical stimulation to either the thalamus, globus pallidus (GPi), or subthalamic nucleus (STN), another part of the brain controlling movement. High-frequency stimulation of cells in these areas actually shuts them down, helping to rebalance control messages throughout the movement control centers in the brain.
Dopamine: A chemical or neurotransmitter that controls movement and balance and is essential to the proper functioning of the central nervous system. Dopamine helps in sendingf signals from one nerve cell (neuron) to another.
Dopamine-receptor agonist: A drug that acts like dopamine. Dopamine-receptor agonists combine with dopamine receptors to mimic the actions of dopamine. Such medications stimulate dopamine receptors and produce dopamine-like effects.
Dopamine transporter: Dopamine is a chemical in the body that allows one nerve cell to send a message or signal to another nerve cell and helps to control movement. After dopamine finishes sending its message, a substance called a dopamine transporter carries the dopamine back from the nerve ending to the cell that produced it so that the dopamine can be reused. The number of dopamine transporters is a sign of the number of nerve endings that produce or release dopamine.
Double-blind trial: A clinical trial in which neither the patients nor the researchers are aware of which patients are receiving the active treatment and which are receiving placebo.
Ergot-derived medication: A medication that has a chemical structure based on ergot, a plant alkaloid produced by a fungus called Claviceps purpurea. Permax® and Parlodel® are examples of ergot-derived medications that may be used to treat certain neurologic movement disorders.Essential tremor (ET): A common, slowly and variably progressive neurologic movement disorder characterized by involuntary, rhythmic, “back and forth” movements (i.e., tremor) of a body part or parts. In patients with ET, tremor is primarily a “postural” or “kinetic” tremor or may be a combination of both types: i.e., tremor occurs while voluntarily maintaining a fixed position against gravity (postural tremor) and/or when conducting self-directed, targeted actions (kinetic intention tremor). Less commonly, patients have tremor involving the voice, tongue, or roof of the mouth (palate), leading to impaired articulation of speech (dysarthria). Rarely, tremor may affect the trunk or lower limbs, particularly with advanced stages of disease. ET may appear to occur randomly for unknown reasons (sporadically) or be transmitted as an autosomal-dominant trait.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): A federal agency charged with ensuring that the food supply in the United States is safe and wholesome, that cosmetics are not harmful, and that medicines, medical devices, and radiation-emitting consumer products are safe and effective.
Globus pallidus (GPi): A major substructure of the basal ganglia deep within the brain. Specialized groups of nerve cells in the globus pallidus function as an "intermediate relay system." This system processes and transmits information from the basal ganglia by way of the thalamus to areas of the brain that regulate complex motor functions (e.g., motor cortex, premotor area of frontal lobe).
Hypertension: Abnormally high pressure.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI): A drug that interferes with the action of monoamine oxidase, slowing the breakdown of certain neurotransmitters. MAO-B inhibitors help break down dopamine; inhibiting the oxidation process prolongs the action of dopamine in the brain.National Institutes of Health (NIH): One of the world's foremost medical research centers and the federal focal point for medical research in the United States. The NIH, comprising 27 separate Institutes and Centers, is one of eight health agencies of the Public Health Service that, in turn, is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Neurotransmitter: A specialized substance (such as dopamine, norepinephrine, or acetylcholine) that transfers nerve impulses across spaces between nerve cells (synapses). Neurotransmitters are naturally produced chemicals by which nerve cells communicate.
Off episodes: The times when people with Parkinson's disease have a decrease in the ability to move (hypomobility) and other symptoms that cause difficulty rising from a chair, speaking, walking, or performing their usual activities. Off episodes occur because the person's dose of levodopa has worn off too soon or has suddently and unexpectedly stopped providing benefit.
Parkinson’s disease (PD): A slowly progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system characterized by slowness or poverty of movement (bradykinesia), rigidity, postural instability, and tremor primarily while at rest. Additional characteristic findings include a shuffling, unbalanced manner of walking; forward bending or flexion of the trunk; a fixed or “mask-like” facial expression; weakness of the voice; abnormally small, cramped handwriting (micrographia); depression; or other symptoms and findings. Such abnormalities are thought to result from progressive loss of nerve cells within a certain region of the substantia nigra of the brain and the associated depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Placebo: A substance that appears to be identical to the treatment under study but that has no effects on the test subject. The placebo is given to members of the control group during experimental trials that test the effects of a drug or other substance.
Placebo-controlled trial: A clinical trial in which patients have been randomly assigned to receive either the treatment under study or placebo, an alternative that has no effects. Restless legs syndrome (RLS): A neurologic movement disorder characterized by unusual, uncomfortable sensations (paresthesias/dysesthesias) deep within the calves and/or thighs, resulting in an irresistible urge to move the legs, and motor restlessness in response to or in an effort to alleviate discomfort. In some patients, the arms may also be affected. Symptoms become obvious or worse during periods of relaxation or inactivity; occur most frequently during the evening or the early part of the night; and may be temporarily relieved by voluntary movements of the affected area. Most patients experience associated sleep disturbances, including difficulties drifting off to and remaining asleep. RLS is also often associated with periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS) or repeated, stereotypic, upward extension of the great toe and foot, potentially followed by flexion of the knee, hip, or ankle. Episodes of PLMS typically occur during periods of lighter (i.e., non-rapid eye movement [REM]) sleep.
Substantia nigra: This term is Latin for black substance and refers to an area in the midbrain in which dopamine, a chemical that allows nerve cells to communicate with each other, is produced. People with Parkinson’s disease have a loss of cells in the substantia nigra, which leads to decreases in the amount of dopamine that is available in the body and, ultimately, with movement problems.
Subthalamic nucleus: An oval mass of gray matter located beneath the thalamus.
Thalamus: An area of the brain consisting of two relatively large masses of gray matter. The thalamus relays information from most sensory organs to the outer region of the cerebrum or cerebral cortex; receives and processes messages from the body concerning heat, cold, pain, pressure, and touch; and influences motor activity of the cerebral cortex.
Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS): The most commonly used to tool to rate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. This scale is intended to be used to follow the course of Parkinson’s disease in patients over a period of time. It is made up of three parts: (1) Mentation (the process of thinking), Behavior, and Mood; (2) Activities of Daily Living; and (3) Motor symptoms.Visual-analog scale: A linear scale that allows responses on a continuum.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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Supported by an educational grant from the Medtronic Foundation
Published by
Copyright © 2004 WE MOVE. All rights reserved.
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Judith Blazer, Executive Director, WE MOVE
Meghan Murphy, CME and Communications Coordinator
Edited by Richard Robinson, Cate Murray and Joy Leffler
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