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BIRMINGHAM, AL, United States (UPI) -- A University of Alabama preliminary study suggests implants of cells from the human retina improved motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson disease. Parkinson disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, with most patients requiring the medication levodopa to control symptoms. But disease progression and long-term oral treatment with levodopa may lead to the development of motor fluctuations and dyskinesias. Human retinal pigment epithelial cells produce levodopa and can be isolated from post mortem human eye tissue, grown in culture, and then implanted into a brain attached to microcarriers. Researchers say such implants ameliorated the motor deficits in animal models of Parkinson disease. Dr. Natividad Stover of the University of Alabama-Birmingham and colleagues conducted an open-label pilot study to evaluate the effect of such implants. Six patients with advanced Parkinson disease received cell implants. The researchers performed efficacy evaluations at one and three months after surgery, and then at six, nine, 12, 15, 18 and 24 months. 'We observed an average improvement of 48 percent at 12 months after implantation...,' the authors wrote. Improvement was also observed in activities of daily living, quality of life, and motor fluctuations. The study appears in the December issue of Archives of Neurology. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn