Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease are both extrapyramidal motor disorders. Describe what we know about each disorder (i. e., symptoms, causes, treatment). Explain how they are similar and how they are different.

Extrapyramidal motor disorders

Explanation:

Parkinson disease:

1) Symptoms

Tremor in hands A reduced sense of coordination and balance The person's posture may change A loss of sense of smell can be an early sign Sleep problems are a characteristic feature of Parkinson's

2) Causes

Cells that produce dopamine die in the brain Dopamine plays a role in sending messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination Low dopamine levels makes it harder for people to control their movements

3) Treatment

Physical, occupational and speech therapies play an important role in the treatment of Parkinson's disease

Huntington disease:

1) Symptoms

Slight uncontrollable movements Small changes in coordination and clumsiness Lack of focus, slight concentration problems Difficulty in speaking Weight loss, leading to weakness

2) Causes

Huntington disease is caused by a faulty gene on chromosome number 4 A normal copy of the gene produces huntingtin, a protein The faulty gene is larger than it should be which leads to excessive production of cytosine, adenine, and guanine, the building blocks of DNA This change results in a larger form of huntingtin which is toxic and as it accumulates in the brain, it causes damage to brain cells

3) Treatment

There is no as such treatment of Huntington but there are certain drugs which keeps the symptoms of this disease under control

Similarity between Parkinson and Huntington disease:

These two different proteins behave in the same way when they enter brain cells and share a similar ability to cause damage when they invade brain cells

Difference between Parkinson and Huntington disease:

In case of people with Huntington disease the ability of neurons to communicate is hindered whereas people with Parkinson, an imbalance of dopamine and acetylcholine is established