A 70-year-old man presents with shuffling gait, tremor, masked facies, and rigidity which have progressed over the last 9 months. Parkinson's disease is diagnosed. In this patient, which neurotransmitter deficiency primarily is responsible for his symptoms?
- acetylcholine
- epinephrine
- norepinephrine
- dopamine
- cortisol
Answer(s): D
Explanation:
Deficiency of dopamine primarily is responsible for the signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Specifically, the loss of dopamine from the substantia nigra is thought to be primarily responsible for the akinesia and rigidity. Tremor, akinesia, and rigidity are the classic triad of signs seen in Parkinson's disease. The tremor typically is a resting tremor; often a "pill rolling" tremor is seen in the hand. Well over 90% of patients with Parkinson's disease do have a good initial response to levodopa
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