Soccertese,

I don't mean, can't speak for others, that stress literally and solely caused my Parkinsonsism. I do mean that stress can tip you over the edge...so all things being equal between two candidates for PD, the one under any significant amount of stress will more easily end up in the office of a MDS. Stress can lead to a host of chronic illnesses and even makes us more susceptible to the common cold? It is widely known that chronic stress weakens our immune system and contributes to one's susceptibility to more serious disease (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic disorder). It's just that I think its role is greater for people who have neurological disorders because it alters our brain chemistry over the course of time.

Not to mention that the amygdala; our "fear" center is usually impacted in PD, so this also can exacerbate stress or deactivate our flight or fight response depending on how that area has been hit by rogue killer proteins. Interestingly, smokers have underactive amygdalas; that is nicotine blunts their fear response...is this also why smokers are less likely to get PD? Surely there is some relation here.

Laura