Interview with Dr. William Sturgill, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology at Rockhurst University

We interviewed Dr. Sturgill, a professor of psychology at Rockhurst University to get his perspective of Parkinson's disease, and to shine some light on a still difficult disease. Here are both the questions we asked and his responses to the questions:

Why did you choose to go into the field of neuroscience?

I think the brain is the most fascinating object in the world to study, and yet, also the most difficult. It [the brain] is the most complicated organ ever produced. To put it in perspective, the cerebellum of the elephant is the best rival of the human brain. The elephant trunk alone has 50,000 muscles in it. So for the trunk to be able to do normal things, like eating and drinking, takes an amazing amount of fine muscular control given by the elephant's brain.

What experience have you had in dealing with patients with Parkinson's disease?

I don't have much experience dealing with Parkinson's in particular.

Are there any interesting stories that you have from your experience treating Parkinson's patients?

I performed studies involving humans and the inability that some have to detect a joke because of brain damage. Some of the patients may have had Parkinson's disease, while the vast majority had suffered from a stroke.
Besides the inability of detecting a joke, you can tell someone has Parkinson's from hypokinesis. Hypokinesis is the absence of voluntary movement which shows in the person's posture. They are frozen in place and can't seem to initiate movement. They have little tricks to "kick start" movement, however. Self-initiation is hard, but if a person is externally exposed to a target, they can initiate a "kick start". An example of this is when a person with Parkinson's walks with a can. They don't need the cane for pain relief; they need to be able to "kick start" movement. Also, persons with Parkinson's can be seen having tremors in their hands when they are at rest.

Why is it important for a doctor or researcher studying or treating Parkinson's disease to understand evolutionary development?

It's extraordinarily important when thinking about viruses or bacteria which evolve so quickly, but, in the case of Parkinson's, the systems that control movement have evolved over millions of years. And it's just as interesting to see how it work and what evolved. This whole "brain thing" is something that's evolved and has been doing so since even the lowest forms of life. These mechanisms have been evolving for millions of years. If you look at humans, you see this ability of an enormous complexity of movements. We need something to be able to perform one particular movement at a particular time over other options. This is done because of the complexity and ability involved in the brain.

What proteins/genes are involved in the development of Parkinson's disease?

I am not sure what genes are involved but the structures involved are the areas of the spinal chord, mid brain, and the brain stem. In the ventral mid brain, there is a dark substance called substantia nigra. This is where dopaminergic cells reside, generating dopamine which are connected to the basal ganglia. That's what sends messages to striatum and the excitatory messages which helps balance motor movements. Like any cells, as you age, those neurons in substantia nigra start to die off.  So when they start to die, Parkinson's disease is a result.

Have you heard of grid computing before? If so, how important is it in the research of Parkinson's and the development of a cure? 

I have not heard of grid computing before.

What are the current treatments for Parkinson's disease, and how do they work?

Some people's cellular atrophy happens faster than others. It may be because of a diet that is low in amino acids, including tyrosine. There are currently different options of treatment. One is to get L-Dopa, a precursor in the synthesis of dopamine. In processes in the body, the L-Dopa turns into dopamine. It calms people down but comes with consequences. Long term use cause harder jerks and hyper movement. In the last decade or so, people have been doing deep brain stimulation. They implant electrodes/stimulators which generate tiny bits of electricity on the striatum. Then the pulses are sent to the striatum, generating excitatory post synaptic potentials.

Around what age does the onset of Parkinson's disease begin?

Around the ages of 70 or 80, but there is the potential for it to happen earlier.

Reflections over the Interview

It was interesting to get more of a scientific view of Parkinson's disease, as a whole. From what causes it to the potential treatments, Parkinson's disease is an illness which pains many, many people. It was cool to hear about some of the research being done in trying to right the wrongs which Parkinson's disease creates. From the L-Dopa treatments to the deep brain stimulation, research is being done to trying and help alleviate the stress Parkinson's disease makes. It was disturbing to learn about how Parkinson's disease seems like an unavoidable outcome of age. Yes, there are ways that a person can get the disease when they are younger in life, but it seems that the older a person gets, the higher their chances of getting Parkinson's disease become. Being that we are part of an evolution class and the necessity to see how this connects with evolution, it was interesting to talk to Dr. Sturgill about the evolution of life and the evolution of the brain. Ever since the creation of the brain, there have always been problems with it too. It seems every time the brain evolves, from the lowest life forms to now, diseases, like Parkinson's disease evolve with it. But hopefully, through work in the grid computing system, we will be able to help in the research to stop the disease.