Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder characterized by the progressive and slow degeneration of neurons in the substantia nigra .
The substantia nigra (or black substance of Sommering) is an area of the central nervous system, located between the midbrain and the diencephalon and forming part of the so-called basal ganglia.
The main task of the substantia nigra (or, better, of the particular cells that compose it) is to produce a fundamental neurotransmitter for the harmonic and fast execution of movements: dopamine.
As perhaps some will already know, several very famous people around the world suffer from (or have suffered in the last years of their life) Parkinson's disease.
Among the various illustrious patients, we recall in particular:
- Robin Williams (1951-2014). Born in the United States, he was one of the greatest Hollywood actors in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s.
After committing suicide, post-mortem examination of his brain tissue revealed that he was also affected by a form of dementia known as dementia with Lewy bodies as well as Parkinson's.
- Pope John Paul II (1920-2005). Born in Poland, he was the 264th Pope of the Catholic Church. His pontificate began on 22 October 1978 and ended at his death.
The first symptoms of Parkinson's disease (slight tremors in the left hand) appeared at the end of 1991; from that moment on, there was a progressive worsening of the symptom picture. Moreover, towards the end of life John Paul II - who according to the sources closest to him was still lucid in his head - was forced to use a wheelchair.
- Michael J. Fox (1961). Of Canadian origin, but naturalized in the United States, he is the protagonist of the trilogy entitled "Back to the future". Falling ill with Parkinson's (a juvenile form) at just 30 years (1991), he was forced to retire from the scene around 2000, only to return to the public with a sitcom in 2013.
Immediately after retiring from the scene, he personally contributed to the creation of the "Michael J. Fox Foundation", aimed at researching for an effective treatment against Parkinson's.
- Muhammad Ali (1942). Born in the United States, he was one of the greatest boxers and sportsmen in history.
In his palmares, the victory of gold at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960 and the attainment of the world boxing title are counted.
The diagnosis of Parkinson's dates back to 1984, but already in 1981, on the occasion of the last meetings, Muhammad Ali had shown some symptoms characteristic of the disease, such as a slowness (unusual for him) in the movements.
- Salvador Dali (1904-1989). Born in Spain, he is considered one of the most important surrealist painters in history.
He became ill with Parkinson's in 1980, at the age of 76 years. According to the biographical reports on him, it seems that the illness arose after having ingested a cocktail of medicines, prepared for him by his wife suffering from senile dementia; such a preparation would have irreparably damaged some areas of his brain.
- Francisco Franco (1892-1975). Born in Spain, he was a military general but above all a dictator of his country from 1939 to 1975 (when he died).
Although the precise time of the onset is not known, it is certain that in the last years of his life he suffered from a severe form of Parkinson's.
