In Parkinson's disease, the cerebral cortex can take over tasks from a deeper part of the brain that is damaged, and where cells that make dopamine have been lost. That degree of compensation by the cerebral cortex determines how many complaints people have. This is evident from a publication by the Radboudumc in the Netherlands. Patients can stimulate this compensation by exercising, for example, and thus slow down the disease process.
It was already known that in Parkinson's disease, the cells in the brain that produce dopamine slowly disappear. Therefore, patients are given extra dopamine as a medicine. But only a limited link has been found between the loss of those cells, and the degree of complaints in Parkinson's. Even if all the cells are already broken, one person experiences mild symptoms, while another has many more symptoms. Researchers at the Radboudumc investigated whether there might be anything else going on.
They found that the outer part of the cerebellum, the cerebral cortex, can compensate for the loss of the cells that make dopamine for a long time to come. For example, the complaints are postponed, as it were. It turns out that the severity of complaints is clearly related to that compensation by the cerebral cortex. The more actively those tasks take over, the milder the slowness and the better the thinking goes. Doctors have long suspected that such a mechanism of compensation exists, but it has now been scientifically proven for the first time. (Source: Parkinsonvereniging)
This research has been published in Brain:
Clinical severity in Parkinson’s disease is determined by decline in cortical compensation. Martin E. Johansson, Ivan Toni, Roy P.C. Kessels, Bastiaan R. Bloem, Rick C. Helmich.
"Leafy Greens: There is continued evidence that leafy greens such as collard greens, broccoli, kale, arugula, and spinach may support brain health. These greens are all dense in vitamins and minerals such as lutein, vitamin K, nitrate, folate, alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, and kaempferol."
Fascinating. Looking at the location of the cerebral cortex, just above the neck, it also helps explain why Upledger Craniosacral Therapy can be so helpful for PD, as it frees up the tension in the neck and cranium and increases blood flow to the brain.
Your cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of your brain. To be clear, I added a picture.
Perhaps this is the reason that the head massage that the Qi gong teacher did especially in his sessions was so beneficial. 😉 But I am convinced that the infrared radiation from sunlight, our free NIR, works wonders here!
Oh interesting. The article just mentions the outer part of the cerebellum being the cerebral cortex. When I get headaches from my neck they travel all the way forward to my forehead; the whole of the cerebral cortex area. Haven't had one since my treatment though. I love the idea of sun helping brain health! I have such thick hair I doubt if it penetrates 😆
It turns out that the infrared radiation of the sun penetrates your body up to 8 cm and can probably operate your entire cerebral cortex with it. You have to have a very extreme haircut if that doesn't work. 😀
That's amazing! My hair is thick and bushy but not 8cm deep, agreed!😅
So the idea is to get lots of sunshine, or is any daylight good enough?
Here in the UK we don't get a lot of sun!!
And in the winter the sun is weak - for example we can't synthesise Vit D from it - and doesn't have much UVB.... I wonder if that is relevant to your info. Do you have a link by any chance?
In my post 'Summertime' and in the replies the necessary studies are also cited about the impact of sunlight and the outdoor living. In the introduction, I have added the most recent video of Dr. Seheult which is very very informative and inspiring, Also with such a real wonderful British winter!
Summertime is a fantastic post and very rich thread, thank you! Wow. It brings to mind the experiences in The Salt Path, a fantastic book. I would urge you to read it; you'll love it!
Definitely! Also read the sequel to The salt path. Very good of you to mention that book, because seems very appropriate. Not so interesting for the story of course, but Moth Winn's miraculous recovery might be partly to do with these phenomena. Sunlight and the outdoors, in addition to exercise of course. Every time during such a hike, a ‘miraculous´ improvement occurs. On my hikes, I encounter exactly the same. Very fascinating 🤔
It is... I gather there's a third instalment to the story, which I look forward to reading over Christmas
By the way, re. your suffering during the heatwave, not being able to shelter indoors - if you go through this next summer you might want to check out the Australian Bush Flower essence 'Solaris'. A naturopath picked up a few years ago that my body was struggling with the heat/sun, and it makes a real difference. (Those cold towels you can buy and refrigerate that stay cold and cool the neck are really helpful too!)
Landlines is now also on my list. I will definitely read the book with different eyes!
The problems with the heat were short-lived. Habituation occurred because it was tropically hot for so long, and also the trees on the property buffered the relatively cool nights. Being in the flow of improvement anyway makes it easier to adjust. Very nice of you to come up with this interesting solution, though!
That it was shown that the severity of PD symptoms are related to the shrinkage of the cerebral cortex makes you look differently at the many positive stories, partly from personal experience, of the PD friendly lifestyle that seems to play an important role here. But also to the understandable sacherine of the PWP with a much longer experience, who grumble that the newbies will be talking differently in a few years. After all, it now seems that even in the later stages of the disease, you have to go all out to limit that impairment of the cerebral cortex. That the focus moves from dopamine to lifestyle may well mean that quality of life can improve for many of us. Of course, research will also have to continue on a cure for PD, but that seems more for the long term. The fact that you can do something NOW, and that it is effective, gives me at least a huge boost.
A similar finding had been posted by “Hidden” a year ago. In treadmill training, a higher activity in certain brain areas was observed in PWP where there also seems to be compensation effects.
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