Synonyms
Parkinson’s; Parkinson’s disease; Parkinsonism; Shaking palsy
Definition
Paralysis agitans is a term initially introduced in 1817 by the British physician, James Parkinson, and literally means “shaking palsy.” It refers to a progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system caused by the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells in the substantia nigra and characterized by postural instability, bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremors. This disorder became known as Parkinson’s disease in the 1860s.
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References and Readings
Lew, M. (2007). Overview of Parkinson’s disease. Pharmacotherapy, 27(12-2), 155S–160S.
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Suchy, Y., Eastvold, A. (2018). Paralysis Agitans. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_505
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_505
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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