Invasion Of The Dopamine Snatchers. It’s a horror movie perfect for drive-ins. Aliens invade and take control of your body, destroying neurons in your brain and harvesting your precious dopamine to take back to their planet. They may strike anyone, anywhere, anytime and there is no stopping them. Insidious, you don’t even know they are there until many years later and the damage is done. Quietly and gradually depleting your dopamine producing neurons for many years until they are 60 - 80% gone and only then do symptoms begin to appear. It could happen to anyone but they seem to target people in the same family and those that have had environmental exposure damage. The movie that dares to enter domain of the human brain and tell the truth about what happens when its neurons no longer produce dopamine.
How to tell if you have been invaded. Young and old look for the following signs and report them to your local neurologist although there is little your doctor can do to help you. The four main symptoms are tremor, bradykinesia (slow movement), rigidity, and postural instability. Tremor is the most noticeable symptom and loss of balance leading to falls the most dangerous.
Who is most likely to be attacked? Researchers think the disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Environmental means all causes that are not genetic. Age, the older you are the more your chances of getting PD. 1% of the population over 60, 0.001% under 45. It is not known why but men have a 50% higher risk than women. People who suffered traumatic head injuries, those exposed to toxic chemicals especially pesticides, and certain metals (manganese) and solvents have a higher incidence but there is no conclusive evidence that exposure to any single environmental factor acting alone can cause PD.
There are causal genes and associated genes. Causal genes occur in 1 - 2% of cases and guarantee that a person who lives long enough will develop PD without the influence of other genes or environmental factors. Associated genes increase the risk but do not develop PD on their own. A person with associated genes may never develop PD but is more likely to. They need to be combined with other genes or affected by the environment. Those with causal genes get PD if they live long enough, those with associated genes may or may not get it, those with neither type gene may get PD due to environmental causes. 4 - 9% of those that have a parent or sibling with PD get it. 15 - 25% who have any relative with the disease get it.
It is more complicated than just environmental or genetic factors. Most researchers believe it is their interaction. That is, a person’s genetic makeup will determine the effect of an environmental exposure. Genetics make you a candidate for PD and environmental exposure triggers it. In order to develop treatments to stop or reverse the disease scientists are working to identify the combinations of genes and environmental exposures that result in PD and researchers are looking for the genetic trigger that starts the cell death process in dopamine neurons.
Are there ways to prevent PD? There is no proven way to prevent PD. Some studies show that people who eat more fruits and veggies, high-fiber foods, fish, and omega-3 rich oils (the Mediterranean Diet) and who eat less red meat and dairy have a lower incidence of the disease. Reduced risk of developing the disease is also associated with smoking (yes smoking), caffeine, high vitamin D levels, exercise (everyone’s favorite), and greater physical activity.
Does the movie have a happy Hollywood ending? Not the current version. Doctors and researchers are fighting back but have made little progress in preventing, curing, or halting the progression of the disease. Maybe in the sequel, Revenge Of The Dopamine Eaters, hopefully coming soon. in which PWP, doctors, researchers, care givers, and the PD community join together to improve lives and defeat the dopamine snatchers. Our weapons are education, research, exercise, community, and a little help from our friends.
What you can do. It is up to you to fight back. So much of how you fair with the disease is up to you. Be an active participant with your doctor to get the best comprehensive treatment plan to improve your quality of life and suffer as little as possible. Learn all you can about the disease so you can make intelligent decisions. Exercise as much as possible. Exercise is believed to slow the progression of the disease and also helps you feel better. Try to be active and engaged with life. Get involved with the PD community. Your local PD community is a wealth of information and support. Be good to yourself.
