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.
Parkinsonâs Disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive disorder that affects nerve cells deep in the brain responsible for planning and controlling body movement.Dopamine is a chemical used in body movement.When the dopamine-producing nerve cells die, symptoms such as tremor, slowness, stiffness, and balance problems begin to occur. The cause of Parkinson's is largely unknown, and the disease cannot be cured at this time.o understand Parkinson's, it is helpful to understand how the nervous system works and how PD affects normal functions (see Anatomy of the Brain). Nerve cells, or neurons, are the basic building blocks of the nervous system. The neuron is responsible for sending and receiving nerve impulses or messages.