[vivian maxine (OP)]

Often, in reading articles about brain disorders, I see four diseases listed as if they are all of one type:  Autism, Huntington's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.  I had always thought of Parkinsons's as a nerve disease that disrupts smooth muscle coordination.  Please, how does Parkinson's fit into the same category as the other three?  Thank you.

[chris]

All of the conditions that you have cited (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's and autism) are neurological in origin.

However, three of them - Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's - are neurodegenerative, meaning that they occur through a pathological disease process that occurs later in life, while autism is neurodevelopmental, which means that it is something that a person is most likely born with or manifests shortly after birth.

Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's are entirely different neurological and clinical entities that present in distinct ways, principally (and primarily) affect specific regions of the brain, and have distinct underlying pathological mechanisms, although all of them are known to have a genetic component too. Parkinson's affects the dopamine-producing cells in a region called the substantia nigra; Huntington's affects "medium spiny GABAergic neurones" in the striatum, and Alzheimer's manifests as the loss of cells in the regions around the hippocampal formation.

What unites the three conditions above, however, is that although they are separate clinical and neurological entities, in each of them brain cells are killed off through the toxic build-up within the cell of some form of proteinaceous material. In Parkinson's cells accumulate a protein called alpha-synuclein. In Alzheimer's it's a protein called tau, and in Huntington's it's polyglutamine. This build-up seems to compromise the function of the cell, leading to premature cell death. As a result, scientists are looking at ways to slow or reverse this accumulation. For Parkinson's Disease, sharks might be able to help: squalamine found in shark tissues can soak up alpha-synuclein.

I hope that this makes things a bit clearer for you?

[vivian maxine (OP)]

Ah, thank you, Chris.  I see where I went wrong.  Your last paragraph clears it up.  I did not know the brain cell connection for Parkinson's. 

[evan_au]

The causes of autism are a mystery.

At least they have proven that it isn't vaccination!

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism#Causes

[tkadm30]

The causes of autism are a mystery.

At least they have proven that it isn't vaccination!

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism#Causes

That is highly controversial, evan. I found a range of scientific papers clearly identifying thimerosal as a potential cause of pervasive development disorders including autism. I suggest you don't base all your arguments on wikipedia, which is strongly influenced by the official narratives and not by science itself.

[RD]

... I found a range of scientific papers clearly identifying thimerosal as a potential cause of pervasive development disorders

Large-population studies show the siblings of a child with autism are between 6x & 24x  more likely to develop autism ...
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2275444#111633530 , consistent with it being genetic.

The incidence of autism increases with the age of the parents ...

https://academic.oup.com/ije/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/ije/dyt262 , consistent with it being genetic.

Male:female ratio in autism is 4:1, consistent with it being genetic ... https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/females-are-genetically-protected-from-autism/

[chris]

Thanks @RD