Scientists at The University of Manchester have for the first time identified why a patient who appears outwardly healthy may develop Parkinson’s disease

Researchers at the university’s Faculty of Life Sciences have now discovered that a small stroke, also known as a silent stroke, can cause Parkinson’s disease. Their findings have been published in the journal “Brain Behaviour and Immunity”. Unlike a severe stroke, a silent stroke can show no outward symptoms of having taken place. It happens when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked for only a very short amount of time and often a patient won’t know they have suffered from one. However, it now appears one of the lasting effects of a silent stroke can be the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in the brain, which is an important region for movement coordination.

Source: Health News, 18 December 2012
http://www.healthcanal.com/brain-nerves/34915-Silent-stroke-can-cause-P…