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Ray, There was an article about Donald Herbert in today's Buffalo News. Unfortunately it states that he has become "less active again" Regarding the medications used it reports: "On Herbert, Ahmed first tried Aricept, an Alzheimer's disease therapy that increases the amount of a brain neurotransmitter, in combination with Provigil, a drug for sleepiness that stimulates the central nervous system, and Sinemet, a Parkinson's disease medication that replenishes dopamine, another critical chemical messenger in the brain. When that drug cocktail failed to work, Ahmed said he tried a new combination that may have included at least one of the original medications. While declining to be specific about the drugs he used, Ahmed said that one is commonly prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, another to treat Parkinson's and a third to treat depression. " ....so it sounds like the PD drug was Sinemet. It also discusses current studies on severe brain injuries. Amantadine is also used in treating PD: "Few studies have been conducted on treatments for the severely brain-injured because of the expense and ethical dilemma of testing medications on patients who do not have the capacity to consent, said Dr. Joseph T. Giacino, a neuropsychologist at the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, N.J. However, Giacino is now directing an international clinical study funded by a $3 million grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to test the effectiveness of a drug called amantadine hydrochloride. The medication, introduced in the 1960s as an antiviral agent, has been shown to enhance the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. Researchers also are looking at the possible benefit of pacemaker-like electric stimulators implanted in the brain, a therapy now used in some Parkinson's patients..." The full article is online at: http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050508/1021119.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn