What is 'dopamine,' and how does it relate to Parkinson's?

What is 'dopamine,' and how does it relate to Parkinson's?

Neal Hermanowicz (Director of the Movement Disorders Program) gives expert video advice on: What hallucinations are associated with Parkinson's? and more...

Dopamine is a naturally-occuring brain chemical that we all have and need, and one of the key features, again identified quite some time ago is that in the brains of people with Parkinsons disease the production of dopamine is diminished. There is a lowering of the concentration in the brain of someone with Parkinsons disease. The consequences of this are that the symptoms emerge; that people do develop slowness or stiffness or tremor as a consequence of this reduction of the synthesis of dopamine. The reason dopamine is reduced is that the brain cells, the neurons that are creating dopamine or that are principally responsible for the synthesis of dopamine, are reducing in number.