Study finds signs of Parkinson's risk

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Elderly people who complain of stiffness, loss of balance and tremors may be at increased risk for future Parkinson's disease.

Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands hypothesized that individuals who were developing Parkinson's might experience some other, milder symptoms before clinically recognizable symptoms of the disease occur, an online report in the Archives of Neurology said

Parkinson's develops over time as neurons in certain areas of the brain that control muscle movement slowly waste away.

Typical symptoms of Parkinson's, including severe tremors, rigidity and slow movements, begin when the brain loses more than half of its dopamine production ability.