A – B – C – D – E – F – G
Adjunct therapy – treatment/medication that is added to a person’s existing treatment.
Akinesia – complete, or almost complete, loss of movement.
Bradykinesia – slow movement.
Central nervous system (CNS) – network of nerve cells that is present in the brain and spinal cord. Information is passed from the CNS to the rest of the body via the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
Combination therapy – situation where two or more medications are used together to treat one illness.
Complementary therapy – treatment/medication that is added to the person’s existing treatment.
COMT – abbreviation for catechol-O-methyltransferase, an enzyme that breaks down levodopa in the body and the brain.
COMT inhibitors – group of medications used as a treatment for PD. COMT inhibitors are given alongside levodopa to prevent it being broken down by COMT before it reaches the brain.
Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) – rare, progressive form of parkinsonism. It causes stiffness, difficulties with recognition, jerky movements and memory problems.
CT scan – computerised tomography (CT) is a type of X-ray where the scanner rotates around the body to produce an image of the body or brain in cross-section.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) – surgical method used in some people with PD. Devices are implanted in the body and brain to send electrical currents to specific overactive parts of the brain, prevent their action, and reduce symptoms of abnormal movement.
Disease modification – term used to refer to the action of a treatment that changes the natural course of an illness (as opposed to simply relieving symptoms). In PD, this may mean slowing or halting the progress of the disease.
Dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors (DDIs) – medications that are given with levodopa (often in the same tablet) to improve its action, reduce the dose needed, and limit side effects. The DDI used in Sinemet® is called carbidopa, and the DDI in Madopar® is called benserazide.
Dopamine – one of many chemicals (neurotransmitters) that send messages between nerve cells. Dopamine sends signals between some of the nerve cells that control movement.
Dopamine agonists – rapidly expanding group of medications that can be given as a first treatment for PD to delay the need for levodopa, and they may also be given with levodopa to treat the motor fluctuations of long-term treatment. They work by imitating the action of dopamine in the brain.
Dopaminergic medications – general name for medications that work by increasing the level/activity of dopamine.
Drug-induced parkinsonism – disorder where PD-like symptoms are caused by a medication. When the medication causing the problem is removed, the symptoms disappear in the majority of cases.
Dysarthria – difficulty with articulating words.
Dyskinesias – group of disorders that produce uncontrolled, abnormal, restless movements or postures.
Dystonia – form of dyskinesia (abnormal movement) that produces muscle spasms in the face, neck and limbs. This can lead to awkward, fixed body positions.
Essential tremor (ET) – shaking of the limbs that is sometimes made worse by movement. ET is often confused with the tremor that is seen in PD, but whereas the parkinsonian tremor is usually one-sided at the start, ET typically affects both sides of the body.
Freezing – symptom of advanced PD where the person becomes ‘glued’ to the spot for a few seconds or minutes before being able to walk.
Gait – pattern of walking.
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