This course explores Parkinson’s disease from a systems and cellular perspective, linking classic motor and non-motor clinical features to underlying mechanisms such as α-synuclein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired protein clearance, and neuroinflammation. You’ll review age, genetic, and environmental risk factors—including pesticide exposure, smoking, and caffeine use—and connect these to dopaminergic neuron vulnerability and degeneration. Emphasis is placed on how these pathophysiologic pathways shape disease progression and influence current and emerging pharmacologic strategies, helping nurse anesthesiologists better anticipate perioperative risks and tailor anesthetic care for patients with PD