Understanding Parkinson’s Disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment [2025]

Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder characterized by tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. It alters movement and coordination since it damages dopamine-producing cells. Dopamine is a hormone that regulates coordination and movement.

The blog highlights the causes, symptoms and treatment strategies of Parkinson’s disease.

Causes of Parkinson’s disease

The leading causes that contribute to the development of Parkinson’s are:

1. Loss of neurons: the main cause of the disease is the loss of neurons producing dopamine. Thus, a decrease in dopamine levels alters brain activity, which alters movement.
2. Genetic factors: rare genetic modifications or genetic mutations, along with family history, increase the risk of PD. 
3. Environmental factors: exposure to environmental factors and certain toxins like MPTP or pesticides contribute to the development of Parkinson’s.
4. Lewy body formation: Proteins clump together in certain regions of the brain and are termed Lewy bodies, and they play an important role in Parkinson’s.
5. Mitochondrial changes: the presence of changes in mitochondria is found in Parkinson’s, and mitochondrial changes lead to cell damage in the brain.
6. Trauma or injury: frequent head injury or trauma can lead to damage to the brain and may cause Parkinson’s.
7. Sometimes, infection and inflammation of the brain, i.e., encephalitis, may lead to Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s symptoms

Motor symptoms	Non-motor symptoms
1. Rigidity	1. Alteration in thinking, focus
2. Bradykinesia	2. Depression
3. Postural instability	3. Loss of smell
4. Tremors	4. Sleep disturbances
5. Dysphagia	5. Orthostatic hypotension
6. And altered hand movements, facial drooling	6. And Gastrointestinal problems – constipation

Research by Lancaster University led to the establishment of a link between hearing loss and Parkinson’s disease. According to the analysis, for every 10-decibel rise in hearing loss, there is a 57% chance of risk of developing Parkinson’s.

Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

According to the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), there are four different stages which are used to classify the disease.

Stage 1: Non-motor aspects	In this stage, healthcare providers examine symptoms like depression, anxiety, dementia and other mental health related symptoms, along with gastric problems.
Stage 2: Motor aspects	Examination of movements, ability to swallow, chew, speak and bathe takes place.
Stage 3: Motor symptoms	In this stage, the healthcare provider examines how the disease has impacted motor movements based on rigidity, balance and movement.
Stage 4: Motor complications	This stage determines the extent to which the disease affects an individual, along with symptom duration, for instance.

Treatment interventions for Parkinson’s

The Parkinson’s disease treatment strategies that target improvement in symptoms are as follows:

Pharmacological agents: 

In general, the doctor recommends medications or drugs that can either enhance or mimic the action of dopamine in PD.

1. Levodopa: medications that contain levodopa have the ability to enhance dopamine levels since a decrease in dopamine levels characterizes Parkinsonism.
2. Dopamine agonists: above all, drugs that are similar in nature and show effects like that of dopamine are helpful in this disease.

Deep brain stimulation – surgical option:

Deep brain stimulation is a surgical therapy where doctors implant electrodes and deliver mild electric currents depending on the requirement to treat abnormal brain activity. Thus, this kind of stimulation is useful when medication therapy fails.

Supportive rehabilitation therapies:

The leading role of rehabilitation therapy is to aid in the recovery process. Therefore, the therapies are as follows:

1. Speech therapy: by incorporating speech therapy, the therapist trains patients on how to develop communication skills and engage in social activities. 
2. Occupational therapy: This therapy teaches patients to coordinate and maintain balance. Additionally, it encourages patients to perform day-to-day activities like self-eating, self-dressing and self-grooming. 
3. Physical therapy: in order to improve physical strength and movement, trainers suggest engaging in light to moderate physical exercises. Furthermore, physical activities also enhance mobility and motor functions.
4. Dietary intake: In order to boost brain function and maintain healthy digestion, dieticians recommend that patients take adequate fibre, limit protein intake and consume fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and whole grains.

Parkinson’s stem cell treatment in India

Parkinson’s is managed by employing medication therapy and combining it with rehabilitation therapy since there is no cure for the disease. The main goal of the treatment strategy is to reduce symptoms and provide relief. Stem cell therapy provides a different perspective in the treatment of the disease.

After implantation, stem cells work to replace and restore the damaged and lost brain cells producing dopamine, thereby generating new dopamine-producing cells. After that, they then enhance motor functions and reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Furthermore, they also reduce oxidative stress, thereby decreasing inflammation. It also modulates the immune system and enhances immune response. Therefore, all these effects, in turn, delay the disease progression.

Stem cell therapy potential in Parkinson’s

Stem cells have the potential to become the latest treatment for Parkinson’s disease in India and to improve determining symptoms of Parkinson’s, i.e. rigidity, bradykinesia, postural instability and tremors. Furthermore, the long-term effects seen after SCT are listed below. 

They are

1. Enhancement of motor symptoms
2. Slowing of disease progression and
3. Overall improvement of quality

Outcomes post stem cell treatment

The following outcomes are seen post-stem cell treatment, which makes it pivotal in the treatment of Parkinson’s.

1. Enhancement of muscle movement
2. Reduction in muscle tremors
3. Increase in body balance
4. Improvement of speech and
5. Enhancement of reading and writing capability.

Conventional therapies v/s stem cell therapy

The comparison between conventional therapies and novel stem cell therapy is as follows:

1. Surgical option: In Parkinson’s, the surgeon implants electrodes that generate electrical impulses, whereas in stem cell therapy, the clinician implants stem cells at the affected part.
2. Rehab therapy: Therapies like speech, occupational, social and physical therapy aid in improving the effects of stem cells.

Parkinson’s Patient Success Stories

New treatment for Parkinson’s disease in 2025

According to a study by Cleveland Clinic’s Neurological Institute, a novel drug, tavapadon, a selective D1/D5 dopamine partial agonist, is effective as both initial therapy and adjunctive therapy.

Similarly, according to the results of the study, the drug tavapadon was safe and effective. It is also effective initially, which enables the practitioners to delay the use of levodopa. The highlight point of the drug is that it requires one dosing. 

Finally, coming to the last section, it highlights the concluding points of the blog.

Conclusion

In conclusion, stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease has taken greater strides in the field of regenerative medicine for neurological disorders. In Parkinson’s disorders, stem cells are pivotal as they improve the characteristic symptoms of tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability.

Therefore, stem cell treatment is essential as it also slows down the progression of the disease. After the conclusion, the next section focuses on the FAQs part.

FAQs:

Q: Define Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder characterized by tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability. Furthermore, it alters movement and coordination since it damages dopamine-producing cells.

Q: What are the causes of Parkinson’s disease?

The leading causes that contribute to the development of Parkinson’s are loss of neurons, genetic factors, environmental factors, exposure to toxins and trauma or injury to the brain.

Q: How does stem cell treatment work in PD?

Generally, after the implantation, stem cell therapy works to replace and restore the damaged and lost brain cells that are producing dopamine, thereby generating new dopamine-producing cells. After that, they then enhance motor functions and reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Q: Explain deep brain stimulation therapy in PD.

It is a kind of surgical therapy where doctors implant electrodes and deliver mild electric currents depending on the requirement to treat abnormal brain activity. Thus, this kind of stimulation is useful when the medication therapy fails.