Novel Treatment for
Parkinson's Disease
Researchers from University of Missouri have identified the role
of alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's symptoms. When
alpha-synuclein becomes mutated and clumps at the cell
surface, it manages to drag away a protein that helps transport
the ER and the Golgi Bodies. This gives a new direction for
considering much better treatments, e.g. gene therapy, for
people suffered from Parkinson's Disease. {A}

ABOUT PARKINSON'S DISEASE
More than a million Americans suffer from Parkinson's Disease,
So far, no current therapies alter the fundamental clinical course
of the condition.

Parkinson's Disease is a progressive deterioration of neurons in
the midbrain. That deterioration, in turn, leads to a shortage of
the chemical messenger dopamine, resulting in muscle rigidity,
impaired movement, and uncontrollable shaking of limbs. The
most common treatment for Parkinson's Disease is the oral
administration of the dopamine precursor, L-dopa. L-dopa
subsides the symptoms at first, it becomes ineffective over the
time.

Tatyana Sotnikova et al, Duke Universtiy, screened potential
therapeutic drugs using a mouse model. By eliminating the
dopamine transporter-the protein responsible for recycling the
chemical into neurons-in mice, the researchers reduced
dopamine levels in the midbrain by 20-fold. This inhibition of
dopamine production resulted in essentially unmeasurable levels
of the neurotransmitter. Dr. Sotnikoya and his group found
that in addition to L-DOPA-related treatments, drugs related to
amphetamine were effective in ameliorating muscle rigidity,
tremor, and impaired movement in these mice.

The most effective was methylenedioxymethamphetamine HCl
(MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy. It has been shown that
amphetamines can trigger release of neurotransmitters such as
dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine and cause sudden
bursts in neurotransmission, leading to a feeling of alertness,
increased muscular activity, and reduced fatigue. But MDMA did
not raise dopamine levels, hinting that it restores movement
through an unknown mechanism outside of the dopamine
system.

The team also found that a combination of MDMA and the
current Parkinson's drug L-DOPA, a chemical building block of
dopamine was more effective than either drug alone.

"This suggests that maybe low concentrations of these
amphetamines, or compounds related to them, could be
potentially used as add-ons to L-DOPA," says Caron. The study
is reported in PloS Biology1.

            More about Parkinson's Disease
         Parkinson's Disease - Supplements
             Parkinson's Disease - Herbs
     Parkinson's Disease - Side Effects of Drugs
          Parkinson's Disease - Symptoms

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOUR REFERENCE ONLY. MDMA or ecstasy is an
amphetamine derivative that, like its precursor, has properties as a stimulant.
Part of its chemical structure is similar to that of the hallucinogen mescaline. IF
YOU SUFFERED FROM PARKINSON'S DISEASE OR IF YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTION, YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY.

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Citation: Sotnikova TD, Beaulieu JM, Barak LS, Wetsel WC, Caron MG, et al.
(2005) Dopamine-independent locomotor actions of amphetamines in a novel
acute mouse model of Parkinson's disease. PLoS Biol 3(8): e271.
[A] Researchers reverse Parkinson's symptoms in animal models EurekAlet
June 22 2006.
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