HOUSTONâJustin Friendâs parents have doctoral degrees and have worked as university lecturers and researchers. So Mr. Friend might have been expected to head for a university after graduating from high school in Bryan, Texas, five years ago. Instead, he attended Texas State Technical College in Waco, and received a two-year degree in welding.
A flurry of emergent research has linked mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction results in impaired ATP generation, loss of cellular repair mechanisms, and cellular inefficiency.
Parkinson's is a disease which affects the brain, causing problems with movement. The muscles become stiff and sometimes shake, and the person moves more slowly than normal. Parkinson's and dementia are linked because, in some people with Parkinson's disease, dementia may occur as the illness progresses. Dementia is a disorder in which brain function deteriorates, leading to difficulties with remembering, planning and organizing, recognizing people and things, and communicating with others.