Parkinson Foundation: Patients' Forum. Parkinsons Forum. PD Junctione. Parkinson Pipeline Project. PD Online Research. World Parkinson's Education Program. European Parkinson's Disease Association. Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center. Parkinson's disease. The main motor symptoms are collectively called parkinsonism, or a "parkinsonian syndrome".
Parkinson's disease is often defined as a parkinsonian syndrome that is idiopathic (having no known cause), although some atypical cases have a genetic origin. Many risk and protective factors have been investigated: the clearest evidence is for an increased risk of PD in people exposed to certain pesticides and a reduced risk in tobacco smokers. The pathology of the disease is characterized by the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein into inclusions called Lewy bodies in neurons, and from insufficient formation and activity of dopamine produced in certain neurons within parts of the midbrain. What are the different forms and stages of Parkinson's disease?