Page 180 - The Miracle of Electricity in the Body

178 THE MIRACLE OF ELECTRICITY IN THE BODY

Each stage of this chemical communication depends on the most
delicate balances. The messenger molecules employed for every commu-
nication, and the proteins and enzymes that serve in the various phases
of that communication, are all specifically determined. However, many
details of these communications are still unknown.
Parkinson’s disease impairs coordination between the muscles,
makes movements difficult and causes trembling. The cause of this dis-
ease is an imbalance between the messenger molecules dopamine and
acetylcholine. Some nerve cells in the brain produce less dopamine than
is required, leading to a loss of muscle control. This is a fairly new dis-
covery, and earned Professor Arvid Carlsson the 2000 Nobel Prize for
Medicine.
One method employed to treat this disease is the transmission of
electrical signals to the brain: Batteries implanted in the patient to stim-
ulate nerves increasingly reduce these cells’ insensitivity. In this method,
known as Deep Brain Stimulation, DBS, a battery-like device sends elec-
trical signals via one of the 100 billion neurons in the brain and triggers
the release of chemicals like serotonin or dopamine. This action encour-
ages neighboring cells to send new electrical impulses to other neurons.
But doctors have to be exceptionally
careful when implanting the DBS
device. A misalignment of
just a few millimeters (a
few inches) can result in Neuron
Cerebral cortex
very different results,
Dendrite
such as depression. SEROTONIN CYCLE

Brain

Raphe
nuclei
Serotonin