Fluctuating lighr and dyskinesia and epileptic seizures
>From my own experience I'd guess the followong relation exists.
Dyskinesia, as a side effect of sinemet, whether it is the peak of dose or the
end of dose kind, has a lower threshold and is heavier when one is activated
(aroused). Thus, when I just have stopped being dyskinetic, it can easily be
triggered again by everything that asks some attention, like someone is saying
something to me.
Talking about stress and arousal, which do influence Parkinson symptoms, we are
not used to think of these "small stimuli", but when one is at the edge of
being dyskinetic, a small stimulus can push one over. Small stimuli which can
do that too, are loud noises or a strong visual input. We know this kind of
things, although not felt as stressors by the subject, heightens the amount of
adrenaline.
Now the light. I remember this has been popped up on the list before, people
mentioning they always were dyskinetic in the supermarked, which was related to
the light conditions. I could not relate to that, but maybe the light in Dutch
supermarkets are different. But I strongly feel that the flickering of the
light that is caused by driving on a sunny day under trees is experienced much
stronger and aversive by me than in pre-parkinson times. If I don't want to see
it closing my eyes is not enough. I have to use my hands to cover my eyes too.
Another, but maybe functionally the same symptom is, that I see so called
after-images much stronger. (everyone can see an after image by looking some
time at a white sheet of paper with one black spot, focusing a point next to
that spot and and than turn to a black sheet with no spot at all. Focusing
again, one sees a white spot at the place of the black one).
I have asked myself and once the list too, if my memory is sound, whether this
is caused by too much dopamine in the retina. Dopamine is an important
neurotransmitter of the retina and untreated Parkinson patients have no
shortage of it. So it could be, the treated ones have a surplus.
This extra strong visual input could cause that people, who are, next to
suffering from Parkinson, epileptic and at the edge of having an insult,
are pushed over that edge.
I am not a physiologist, if I said something that is nonsense, I'd like to hear.
Ida Kamphuis 53/13
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