Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized primarily by physical and psychological disabilities. This disorder is named after James Parkinson, an English physician who first described it as trembling paralysis in 1817 (Goetz, Factr, & Weiner, 2002). Jean-Martin Charcot, who was a French neurologist, then further progressed and refined the description of the disease and identified other clinical characteristics of Parkinson's disease (Goetz, Factr, & Weiner, 2002). Parkinson's disease involves the loss of cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine in a part of the brainstem called the substansia nigra, which results in numerous signs and symptoms (Byrd, Marks, & Starr, 2000). It manifests clinically with tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, hypokinesia and postural instability. Parkinson's is a common disorder, affecting at least 1% of people over the age of 70 and is 1.5 times more common in men than women (Hauser, et al. 2010). The incidence has been estimated at 4.5-21 cases per 100,000 population per year, with most studies estimating a prevalence of approximately 120 per 100,000 (Hauser, et al. 2010). Causes Parkinson's disease is known to be idiopathic, however, many studies have found that a combination of genetic and environmental factors are associated with the development of Parkinson's disease. Environmental risk factors include pesticide use, living in a rural environment, drinking well water, and proximity to industrial plants or quarries. Genetic causes have also been studied and a genetic cause for the development of Parkinson's disease has been found to account for 5% of all cases (Hauser et al. 2010). Drugs that block dopamine receptors are also considered a cause of the development of Parkinson's disease. Int...... middle of paper ....... Differential effects of black versus green tea on Parkinson's disease risk in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Journal of Epidemiol. (2008) 167 (5): 553-560.15. Michael S. Gazzeniga, Richard B. Gerorge, Mangun R, 2008. Cognitive Neuroscience, 2nd edition.16. Michael J Zigmond, Robert E. Burk, 1998. Pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. Neuropharmacology: the fifth generation of progress.17. Poewe Werner, Angelo Antonini, Jan CM Zijlmans, et al. 2010. Journal of Dovepress Volume 2010:5 Pages 229.18. Robert A Hauser, Rajesh Pahwa, Kelly E Lyons, Theresa McClain, 2010. Parkinson's disease. Medscape, Neurology.19. Thomas Aird, 2000. Functional anatomy of the basal ganglia. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing.20. U Ehrt, Dag Aarsland, 2005. Psychiatric aspects of Parkinson's disease. Norway Curr Opin Psychiatry;18(3):335-341 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins