55th Anniversary Juried Member's Exhibit - 2023
- August 11, 2023
- Exhibition
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- Artwork
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- Artists
Parkinson's disease
- Digital (Photoshop/Illustrator)
- Claudia Román
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's. This disease affects predominantly the dopamine-producing neurons in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra (a). Dopamine is the most important neurotransmitter in the Central Nervous System as it is responsible for many bodily functions, including movement. The death of these dopaminergic neurons leads to a reduction in dopamine levels (b) and consequently to an alteration of the functions that it regulates. That is why some of the most common visible symptoms of this disease are related to movement: slowness, muscle stiffness and tremors, among others.
The accumulation of Lewy bodies (c) in neurons is another common factor in this condition. These bodies are composed, among other substances, of alpha-synuclein (d) protein deposits that in large amounts are toxic to neurons.