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Terpenoids: The Biological Key Molecules
Published in Dijendra Nath Roy, Terpenoids Against Human Diseases, 2019
Moumita Majumdar, Dijendra Nath Roy
PD, another neurodegenerative disorder caused by genetic mutation or by some extracellular toxins, is characterised by abnormal movement due to motor impairment accompanied by corticobasal degeneration and dementia with Lewy bodies (Nuytemans et al. 2010). Misfolded α-synuclein proteins accumulate to form Lewy bodies, altering dopamine signalling and resulting in neural dysfunction and apoptosis. Cannabinoid (Figure 3.2j), a cannabis terpene, is influential in the treatment of PD. Cannabinoids are reported as competent alternative drugs targeting signalling pathways involved in development of PD. The anti-oxidant nature of cannabinoids make them suitable for managing mitochondrial oxidative stress (Borges et al. 2013; Velayudhan et al. 2014). Some cannabinoids are also found inside the body. Endogenous signalling involves receptors located in the brain, specifically in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata. These signalling cascades have been found to be partially or fully damaged during the course of infection. After treatment with exogenous cannabinoids, the expression of the receptor CB1 was found to be highest, along with another ionotropic receptor, Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). Cannabinoids are potent anti-inflammatories in the central nervous system and periphery. Counter effects of the endogenous cannabinoid system and exogenous ligands have also been explored in vitro. CB1-deficient mice show early onset of cognitive impairment and some molecular features that are found to be frequent in PD (Bilkei-Gorzo 2012).
Exploring the Role of Everyday Sounds to Support People Living with Dementia
Published in Paul A. Rodgers, Design for People Living with Dementia, 2022
Sarah E. Campbell, David Frohlich, Norman A. Alm
Dementia is a term used to describe a set of neurodegenerative symptoms resulting from diseases (Gustafson, 1996), which include Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, vascular dementia, dementia from Parkinson's disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (Agüero-Torres et al., 2006; Prince et al., 2014). Mild cognitive impairment is often the first indicator of developing dementia. Each disease presents differently, but essentially dementia is characterised by memory problems, cognitive impairment, language deficits, disorientation, depression, emotional issues, and behavioural issues. 850,000 people in the UK have dementia, with two-thirds living at home (Department of Health, 2018). As diseases progress, the person with dementia is unable to look after themselves and usually will eventually require residential care facilities. Depending on the type of disease, progression rates vary with life expectancy anything from 2 to 20 years, with an average life expectancy of 10 years following diagnosis. There is currently no cure for dementia. Therefore, care is currently focussed on quality of life and slowing disease progression (Department of Health, 2018). As brain function declines, memory issues lead to a loss of a sense of self in the present day, which has a strong impact on family members as their loved ones can no longer recognise them or be grounded in the present. This loss of identity (Gillies and Johnston, 2004) and also loss of connection with a loved one are very difficult for family members (Bramble, Moyle, and McAllister, 2009; La Fontaine and Oyebode, 2014; Shanley et al., 2011).
Impact of Retinal Stimulation on Neuromodulation
Published in Yu Chen, Babak Kateb, Neurophotonics and Brain Mapping, 2017
Differences between the inferior and superior retinal sections also have been identified. In humans, blood flow is reduced in the inferior retina when certain types of stress are applied (Harris et al. 2003). In 1985, a study demonstrated that the upper retina shows more significant contrast sensitivity than the inferior retina (Skrandies 1985). Flicker sensitivity is more closely associated with the peripheral retina (Solomon et al. 2002). In dementia, with Lewy bodies, eye movements during sleep are not normal (McCarter et al. 2013).
Challenging the visual: learning from the mobility narratives of visually impaired persons
Published in Journal of Urban Design, 2020
Jayne M. Jeffries, Rose Gilroy, Tim Townshend
The plethora of conditions that erode sight create a range of visual experiences for individuals. Figure 1 provides a series of visual images that show the degree to which sight loss affects the vision of individuals living with specific eye conditions. Macular degeneration creates a blurred central area that makes closely viewed activities such as driving, reading and sewing increasingly difficult; glaucoma produces a reverse effect in that the central core of vision is clear but peripheries are progressively diminished. With cataract there is a general clouding of the whole field of vision while diabetic retinopathy produces black spots and floating shapes that may increase until all sight is lost. There are also less commonly known conditions, such as Charles Bonnet syndrome, which can affect any person with a sight loss condition and produces hallucinations. Research suggests that the brain of a vision impaired person does not receive as much information and ‘fills in these gaps by releasing new fantasy pictures, patterns or old pictures that it has stored’ (RCOphth & RNIB 2016). It takes little imagination to understand how frightening and disorientating this may be and how this is likely to be interpreted by sufferers and others as mental illness or, in an older person, dementia. In the context of an ageing population the rise of dementia has become a major health and welfare issue. While dementia is usually understood as memory problems and loss of learning capacity, for the 10% or so diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy Bodies, there are also hallucinations.