CURRENT SCIENCE REVIEWS  By Joe Bruman  May 1999   Page 1 of 3

Advt; J Neur N'surg Psych 1999;66:2nd cover:
For those who don't like the stimulation of selegiline (Eldepryl)
in its current form, a new formulation is available in which a
single 1.25mg dose daily is equivalent to the usual 5mg twice a
day, and whose amphetamine metabolite is reduced 90%. It's sold
in the UK by Athena Neurosciences under the name Zelapar; I don't
know yet about U.S. approval.

Fetoni V et al; J Neur N'surg Psych 1999;66:541-544:
Comparative psychiatric evaluation of a group of PD patients and
a group of multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients revealed that
levodopa elevated mood in the PD subjects but not the MSA ones.

Figuerias-Mendez R et al; J Neur N'surg Psych 1999;66:549-550:
Bilateral stimulation (DBS) markedly improved severe levodopa-
induced dyskinesia (LID) in a patient diagnosed with PD for 30
yr and treated with levodopa for 25 yr.

Young D et al; Nat Med 1999;5:448-453:
An enriched social and physical environment, represented by
higher educational attainment, is associated with reduced risk of
dementia related to Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. In a
controlled trial with rats, authors housed one group in a plain
cage with only food and water, and provided the other group with
a running wheel, tunnels, rubber balls, a maze, a bar-pressing
feeder, and nesting material. The enrichment reduced spontaneous
apoptosis (in the hippocampus) by 45%, prevented siezures due to
administered cerebral insult, and was neuroprotective, as
indicated by stimulated expression of neural growth factors, as
well as improving cognitive performance of the privileged rats.

Suhr S et al; Arch Neur 1999;56:287-292:
Illustrated tutorial, in simple language, on use of recombinant
retroviruses for gene therapy in the central nervous system.
[Gene therapy someday may offer a cure for PD by replacing
dopamine-producing neurons.]

Louis E et al; Arch Neur 1999;56:334-337:
By regularly applying the UPDRS exam to a group of 237 patients
for as long as 8 yr, they established quantitative progression
rates of extrapyramidal signs (rigidity, tremor, bradykinesia,
postural instability) in PD.

Brown R et al; Ann Neur 1999;45:473-488:
Bilateral Deep-Brain Stimulation (DBS) of either the pallidum or
the subthalamic nucleus improved arm akinesia in 6 PD recipients,
with effectiveness about equal to that of unilateral pallidotomy.

Nakagawa T et al; Lancet, 3 April 1999:1157:
Like PD patients, stroke victims develop difficulty swallowing,
which can lead to pneumonia, and in either disorder the symptom
is relieved by dopamine supplementation. So the authors did a
controlled trial of the dopamine agonist amantadine (Symmetrel)
on 163 stroke patients, and found that it reduced the risk of
aspiration pneumonia about 20%.




CURRENT SCIENCE REVIEWS  By Joe Bruman  May 1999    Page 2 of 3

Linazasoro G et al; Clin Neuropharm 1999;22:74-79:
In an open study comparing Sinemet CR with regular Sinemet in
450 patients, more than 60% had some improvement in condition
on switching to the controlled release formulation.

Strijks E et al; Clin Neuropharm 1999;22:93-97:
Although in a previous open trial progesterone seemed to worsen
PD symptoms in post-menopausal women, a longer and controlled
trial of estradiol, another female sex steroid, produced no
significant dopaminergic effect.

Spieker S et al; Clin Neuropharm 1999;22:115-119:
In a 14-patient controlled study, budipine was effective against
the tremor of PD, offering an alternative to anticholinergics.

Kingsbury A et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:206-218:
A controlled (postmortem?) study of mRNA in neurons of the
substantia nigra of PD patients showed that vulnerability of
those neurons to PD is unrelated to their intrinsic capacity
for dopamine synthesis. Additionally, long-term L-dopa treatment
appears not to compromise normal function of those neurons.

Mellick G et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:219-224:
A controlled study of DNA from blood samples of 204 Australian
PD patients revealed that mutation of the gene for monoamine
oxidase B (MAO-B) is associated with Parkinson's disease.

Wan D et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:225-229:
A controlled study of DNA in 101 Chinese PD patients failed to
confirm suspicion that mutations of the dopamine D4 receptor
gene are associated with PD.

Sabbagh N et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:230-236:
Checking a suspicion that mutations of the gene CYP2D6 may be
associated with PD, they studied DNA from 109 sporadic PD
patients and 68 members of familial PD clusters, concluding
that CYP2D6 polymorphism is not a factor.

Karlsen K et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:237-241:
In a controlled study of 233 Norwegian PD patients, they found
fatigue to be a common symptom that may overlap with, but does
not depend on, depression.

Durif F et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:242-245:
Simulating the dyskinetic effect of levodopa by means of a
standard single dose of apomorphine in 10 PD patients, they
found that concurrent motor and mental tasks worsen the effect.

Churchyard A et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:246-251:
The same British team that set off the argument over selegiline
(Eldepryl) mortality statistics (CSR JAN 96) has done a new
study confirming that selegiline causes postural hypotension,
and it is not the result of underlying autonomic failure.

Schrag A et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:252-255:
They compared the anticholinergic biperiden (Akineton) against
the dopamine agonist apomorphine in 17 PD patients. Both were
effective against resting, postural, and action tremor, but only
apomorphine helped to reduce akinesia and rigidity.
CURRENT SCIENCE REVIEWS   By Joe Bruman   May 1999   Page 3 of 3

Dalvi A et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:256-261:
A one-yr followup of 20 posteroventral pallidotomy recipients
revealed general improvement of PD symptoms, but the daily
levodopa dose requirement was not significantly reduced.

Matsumoto J et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:288-294:
They describe a mechanical linkage device that can record
position, velocity, and acceleration of a fingertip to quantify
essential tremor for diagnosis, and its trial on 30 ET patients.

Montastruc J et al; Mov Disord 1999;14:336-341:
A previous trial of the dopamine agonist piribedil given iv had
shown it useful against tremor of PD, so they tried it as a
skin patch in a controlled trial on 27 PD patients. It didn't
work, they suspect because of insufficient absorption from the
patch (even though one group used two patches at a time).

Science News, 24 April 1999:260 (news item)
Dopamine is produced in the body by organs other than the
substantia nigra. Early attempts at cell transplantation for PD
used tissue from the adrenal glands, but the cells failed to
survive. Now, workers have transplanted tissue from tiny glands
in the neck called carotid bodies, in monkeys having induced PD,
with encouraging improvement in motor symptoms. Using the
patient's own tissue in this way avoids the need for immune
suppression, as well as ethical debates over fetal tissue.

--
J. R. Bruman   (818) 789-3694
3527 Cody Road
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-5013