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Global Translational Medicine

REVIEW ARTICLE
Pathogenesis and current therapeutic

approaches for Parkinson’s disease

Raxida Umar 1 and Hao Lyu *
2
1 Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong,
People’s Republic of China
2 Department of Neurosurgery, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong,
People’s Republic of China

Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder among the
elderly, characterized by a spectrum of motor and non-motor symptoms. Motor
symptoms, including resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability,
typically emerge as the predominant clinical features in advanced stages, signifying
irreversible neurodegenerative changes. Early detection, accurate diagnosis,
and timely intervention are crucial for improving prognosis and quality of life in
patients with PD. Treatment options for PD remain a hot topic within the medical
community. Pharmacotherapeutic approaches have expanded beyond traditional
agents such as levodopa, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and dopamine agonists
to include novel drugs, including α-synuclein misfolding inhibitors and glucagon-
like peptide 1 receptor agonists, which have demonstrated promising efficacy.
Surgical interventions, particularly deep brain stimulation, continue to play a
pivotal role in symptom management and are widely applied in clinical practice.
Corresponding author: Recent advancements in understanding the pathogenesis of PD have catalyzed
Hao Lyu
(louielyu@link.cuhk.edu.hk) the development of innovative treatment strategies. Emerging therapies, including
gene therapy and stem cell therapy, offer transformative potential by addressing the
Citation: Umar R, Lyu H.
Pathogenesis and current underlying disease mechanisms. These therapies hold distinct advantages, such as
therapeutic approaches for controlling the pathological progression of PD, restoring damaged brain function,
Parkinson’s disease. Global Transl and minimizing treatment-associated adverse effects, positioning them as promising
Med. 2024:3(4):5082.
doi: 10.36922/gtm.5082 candidates for future standard-of-care approaches. This review summarizes the latest
research progress in the understanding of PD pathogenesis and treatment, aiming to
Received: October 8, 2024 provide guidance for the clinical management of PD.
Accepted: December 2, 2024
Published Online: December 27,
2024
Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; Pathogenesis; Deep brain stimulation; Gene therapy;
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). Stem cell therapy
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, 1. Introduction
provided the original work is
properly cited. With the global population aging at an accelerating pace, Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second
Publisher’s Note: AccScience most common neurodegenerative disease, has shown a steady rise in incidence. Between
Publishing remains neutral with 2000 and 2023, the global prevalence of PD increased from 1.18% to 3.81%. Pathologically,
1
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional PD is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra,
affiliations. the abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the form of Lewy bodies, neurofibrillary

Volume 3 Issue 4 (2024) 1 doi: 10.36922/gtm.5082