HOUSTONâJustin Friendâs parents have doctoral degrees and have worked as university lecturers and researchers. So Mr. Friend might have been expected to head for a university after graduating from high school in Bryan, Texas, five years ago. Instead, he attended Texas State Technical College in Waco, and received a two-year degree in welding.
A flurry of emergent research has linked mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction results in impaired ATP generation, loss of cellular repair mechanisms, and cellular inefficiency.
Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive and chronic nervous system disorder that affects movement and is caused by destroyed nerve cells in the brain. Although the progression of the disorder will vary from patient to patient, the development is often gradual, with symptoms sometimes going unnoticed for years. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but symptoms can be treated, and in some cases improved, with certain medications and other forms of treatment. It is estimated that approximately 50% to 80% of those with Parkinson's disease will eventually develop at least mild dementia, while up to 20% will develop full-blown dementia.