How Does Living with ALS, MS, or Parkinson's Disease Affect One's Level of Depression?

Location

Guzman Lecture Hall, Dominican University of California

Start Date

4-20-2017 12:30 PM

End Date

4-20-2017 1:30 PM

Student Type

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor(s)

Michaela George, MPH, Ph.D.

Presentation Format

Poster Presentation

Abstract/Description

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson’s disease are all classified as neurodegenerative diseases, which means that there is constant progression of nervous system dysfunction, as well as, atrophy of the central or peripheral structures in the nervous system. ALS is characterized by progressive muscular paralysis and degeneration of motor neurons in brain stem and spinal cord. MS involves an immune mediated process which means that the body’s immune system attacks the myelin around the neurons axons in the central nervous system causing scarring in the myelin and affecting the transmission of impulses from the brain to the rest of the body. Parkinson’s disease occurs when a person’s brain slowly stops producing a neurotransmitter, called dopamine. This affects a person’s ability to regulate their body’s movements and emotions. The degeneration of the motor neurons associated in ALS is fatal. However, MS and Parkinson’s disease are not directly fatal, the affects of these diseases can cause death and shorten the individual’s life expectancy. Besides the physical aspect of a neurodegenerative disease, patients living with these diseases also experience mental affects, such as Depression. Depression symptoms have been known to affect those with a neurodegenerative disease because of the chronic symptoms that these diseases cause. There has been research conducted about depression symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, and Parkinson’s patients but none of the studies have looked into the differences in symptoms between the different neurodegenerative diseases. The reasoning behind distinguishing the differences in depressive symptoms in patients with ALS, MS, or Parkinson’s disease is to see if there are better ways to treat each disease in order to manage the depressive symptoms and lessen the amount of depression each patient, with one of these diseases, experiences.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

Import Event to Google Calendar

COinS
 
Apr 20th, 12:30 PM Apr 20th, 1:30 PM

How Does Living with ALS, MS, or Parkinson's Disease Affect One's Level of Depression?

Guzman Lecture Hall, Dominican University of California

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson’s disease are all classified as neurodegenerative diseases, which means that there is constant progression of nervous system dysfunction, as well as, atrophy of the central or peripheral structures in the nervous system. ALS is characterized by progressive muscular paralysis and degeneration of motor neurons in brain stem and spinal cord. MS involves an immune mediated process which means that the body’s immune system attacks the myelin around the neurons axons in the central nervous system causing scarring in the myelin and affecting the transmission of impulses from the brain to the rest of the body. Parkinson’s disease occurs when a person’s brain slowly stops producing a neurotransmitter, called dopamine. This affects a person’s ability to regulate their body’s movements and emotions. The degeneration of the motor neurons associated in ALS is fatal. However, MS and Parkinson’s disease are not directly fatal, the affects of these diseases can cause death and shorten the individual’s life expectancy. Besides the physical aspect of a neurodegenerative disease, patients living with these diseases also experience mental affects, such as Depression. Depression symptoms have been known to affect those with a neurodegenerative disease because of the chronic symptoms that these diseases cause. There has been research conducted about depression symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, and Parkinson’s patients but none of the studies have looked into the differences in symptoms between the different neurodegenerative diseases. The reasoning behind distinguishing the differences in depressive symptoms in patients with ALS, MS, or Parkinson’s disease is to see if there are better ways to treat each disease in order to manage the depressive symptoms and lessen the amount of depression each patient, with one of these diseases, experiences.