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Parkinson's disease: a review
Beitz JM.. Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition), 2014-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Parkinson's Disease is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting older American adults and is predicted to increase in prevalence as the United States population ages. Resulting from a pathophysiologic loss or degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain and the development of neuronal Lewy Bodies, idiopathic Parkinson's Disease is associated with risk factors including aging, family history, pesticide exposure and environmental chemicals (e.g., synthetic heroin use). Its ultimate cause(s) is (are) unknown. Characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms, PD patients classically display rest tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and stooping posture. PD can also be associated with neurobehavioral disorders (depression, anxiety), cognitive impairment (dementia), and autonomic dysfunction (e.g., orthostasis and hyperhidrosis). Recent decades have witnessed a proliferation of medical pharmacologic therapies and innovative surgical interventions like deep brain stimulation (DBS). However, definitive disease-modifying therapy is still lacking. Experimental therapies are being developed and tested with limited results. Knowledge of strategies to promote optimal quality of life for PD patients is of paramount importance for caregivers, health providers and patients themselves.
Key findings
- Resulting from a pathophysiologic loss or degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain and the development of neuronal Lewy Bodies, idiopathic Parkinson's Disease is associated with risk factors including aging, family history, pesticide exposure and environmental chemicals (e.g., synthetic heroin use).
- PD can also be associated with neurobehavioral disorders (depression, anxiety), cognitive impairment (dementia), and autonomic dysfunction (e.g., orthostasis and hyperhidrosis).
- Experimental therapies are being developed and tested with limited results.
Why it matters
This review states that Parkinson's disease can be associated with cognitive impairment and dementia, and that no definitive disease-modifying therapy exists, with experimental therapies showing limited results. It provides background on Parkinson's disease rather than testing any treatment, prevention, or cure for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, so that was left out: it earned 45 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 47 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition)) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 775 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 55.4 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 23.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 234 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Janice M. Beitz: h-index 21 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey: institution h-index 1,147 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24389262) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 45 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 45 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 47 out of 100. |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Beitz, J. M. (2014). Parkinson's disease: a review. Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition). https://doi.org/10.2741/s415
Vancouver
Beitz JM. Parkinson's disease: a review. Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition). 2014. doi:10.2741/s415. PMID: 24389262.
BibTeX
@article{beitz2014-24389262,
author = {Beitz, J. M.},
title = {{Parkinson's disease: a review}},
journal = {Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition)},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.2741/s415},
pmid = {24389262},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2741/s415}
}
Later studies that cite this one
2 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.