Parkinson's disease happens when dopamine production drops, letting acetylcholine become relatively dominant in the brain. This neurotransmitter imbalance causes the jerky, less accurate movements that define the disease. Dopamine normally handles motor control, memory, cognition, pleasure, and motivation.
Here's what you need to know for the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease for the nclex. So what's happening here is this is a progressive and degenerative disease that decreases dopamine and neurological function in the body. So dopamine normally helps with motor function, memory, cognition, pleasure, and motivation. So this is a key critical thinking point for you to know. When dopamine decreases in the body, acetylcholine takes over and this causes those jerky, less accurate movements. And that is what is happening in Parkinson's disease. That dopamine is decreased, acetylcholine is going to take over, causing those problems with that motor function and those jerky movements. You can snag all my med surg flashcards inside the nursing SOS shop and go become the nurse. God created only you to be.
