In contrast to many other neurological disorders, the nature of the brain degeneration that produces Parkinson's disease has been well understood for decades. The symptoms are caused by loss of nerve cells that secrete dopamine in a tiny midbrain area called the substantia nigra. These nerve cells, for reasons that are not fully understood, are especially vulnerable to damage of various sorts, including drugs, disease, and head trauma
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Past episodes of head trauma are reported more frequently by individuals with Parkinson's disease than by others in the population. A recent methodologically strong retrospective study found that those who have experienced a head injury are four times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those who have never suffered a head injury.
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