Novel Treatment for
Parkinson's Disease
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
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.
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
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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