Ekpo, OkobiHiss, DonavonKangwa, Tusekile Sarah2022-01-182024-11-042022-01-182024-11-042021https://hdl.handle.net/10566/17272Magister Scientiae (Medical Bioscience) - MSc(MBS)Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, is one of the leading disability disorders with about 10 million people affected worldwide. The pathological hallmarks of PD are defined by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the midbrain with its characteristic clinical motor and non-motor symptoms. However, the loss in dopaminergic neurons causes characteristic clinical manifestations, which include non-motor and motor symptoms. Damage to cholinergic neurotransmitter systems causes non-motor symptoms like sleeping disorders, depression, and a variety of other psychiatric issues, while a malfunctioning nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway causes such motor symptoms as tremors, stiffness, and postural instability. PD symptoms usually mirror the degree of alteration to neuronal integrity in the affected parts of the brain, but the severity of progression varies with each patient.enParkinson's diseaseNeuroprotectionDisability disordersStrumaria truncataDepressionUniversity of Western Cape