| Research Abstract |
Concentrations of catecholamines indolamines, and transmitter amino acids in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Parkknson's desease(PD), and correlated with clinical symptoms, severity, and responses to L-dopa medication. Concentrations of norepinephrine, serotonin, gluramate, aspartate, and GABA were decreased in PD patients. The reduction in norepinephrine and serotonin concentrations was related to the severity of rigidity, akinesia, and gait freezing. The decrease in serotonin concentration was also related to the degrees of cognitive dysfunctions in L-dopa-treated PD patients. Administration of L-DOPS, a precursor of norepinephrine, reamarkably increased norepinephrine concentration and ameliorate gait freezing in some patients of moderate severities. These data provide a basis for our understanding of pathophysiology of PD.
|
