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CURRENT SCIENCE REVIEWS By Joe Bruman June 2001 Page 1 of Ouchi Y et al;Brain 2001;124:794-792: By means of positron-emission tomography (PET) scans of subjects with and without PD, at rest and immediately following a walking exercise, they were able to compare dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in specific areas of the brain, between the two groups. As expected, they found the first in vivo evidence that DAT availability in the nigrostriatal area of the basal ganglia is reduced by ordinary activity such as walking, and that the spatial distribution of that effect is altered by PD. Intemann P et al;J Neurosurg 2001;94:137-144: They followed progress of 11 recipients of staged bilateral pallidotomy and one of similtaneous bilateral. All did improve motor symptoms but became less responsive to levodopa. Several complications followed the second stage: one acute stroke, two (delayed) infarctions of the internal capsule, four patients had mild-to moderate worsining of speech and increased drooling, and one complained of worsening memory. Takeuchi H et al;J Neurosurg 2001;94:775-781: In experiments on rats with induced parkinsonism, they found that immune rejection of neural xenografts (neural tissue transplants from other animals) was suppressed by injection of donor spleen lymphocytes. Krause M et al;J Neur N'surg Psych 2001;70;464-470: In a study to compare the merits of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) against those of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) as sites for stimulation electrodes to treat PD, they found the former to be in general the better choice. McAuley J et al;J Neur N'surg Psych 2001;70:471-476: By electromyographic study of frequency spectrum in muscle contraction, they found important deficiencies in subjects with PD. Papapetropoulos S et al;J Neur N'surg Psych 2001;70:662-665: A study of patients having a rare form of PD linked to mutation of alpha-synuclein revealed younger age at onset, much less incidence of tremor, and longer duration of the disease. Last Gasp; With deepest regret I must announce that this shall be the last issue of Current Science Reviews. My encounter during the past 3 weeks with shingles and its medications has apparently worsened irreversibly the effects of PD on the range of my daily activities. Since the principal goal of all PD treatment is to maintain quality of life, I must sacrifice the CSRs for the higher priority of continued independence. I regret not only the loss to others, but also the pleasure I got from the archive by which I could trace the progression of various scientific developments in PD. It was fun while it lasted, and we had a long run. I hope to remain active in this PIE forum and to contribute from time to time. -- J. R. Bruman (818) 789-3694 3527 Cody Road Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-5013 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn