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Blood pressure drug may help stall Parkinson's say researchers Polly Curtis, health correspondent Monday June 11, 2007 The Guardian A common drug used to treat high blood pressure could slow the devastating physical decline experienced by people who suffer from Parkinson's disease, researchers will say today. A study of the drug, isradipine, which is widely used to treat hypertension and stroke, suggests it could also be used as a prophylactic against the disease. The scientists say the drug stalled the progression of the disease in mice, but they have yet to carry out human tests. They are at the stage of planning large-scale clinical trials. Article continues Patient groups in the UK welcomed the findings, published in the journal Nature, but emphasised these were early results and some way off a cure. "Our hope is that this drug will protect dopamine neurons, so that if you began taking it early enough you wouldn't get Parkinson's disease, even if you were at risk," said James Surmeier, who leads the Morris K Udall Centre of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research, at Northwestern University, based in Chicago. "It would be like taking a baby aspirin everyday to protect your heart." About one in 200 people in the UK has got Parkinson's disease, and the rate soars in those over the age of 60. The symptoms develop over months or years and include tremors, stiffness, immobility and speech problems, which worsen over time. The main drugs used for it manage the symptoms but are less effective as the disease progresses. It is hoped that by delaying progression the drug might offer a longer time during which anti-tremor drugs could be given. The disease affects the flow of the brain's dopamine, which is crucial to muscle function. The drug in the US study blocked the interplay between dopamine and calcium, hinting at a new understanding of the mechanisms that cause Parkinson's. The researchers found that isradipine, which acts as a "calcium blocker", could rejuvenate ageing dopamine neurons. "This lowers the cells' stress level and makes them much more resistant to any other insult that's going to come along ... they start acting like they're youngsters again," Dr Surmeier said. The mice tests showed that the drug protected the dopamine cells from lethal toxins; the mice, engineered to have a progressive Parkinson's-like disease, resisted becoming ill. Kieran Breen, director of research and development at the Parkinson's Disease Society, said the drug appeared "to slow or stop the death of nerve cells in the brain, in a model of Parkinson's". But he added: "It is too early to state with confidence that this drug will be appropriate for the treatment ... we can also not predict whether this drug will be used as a preventative or protective measure. A significant amount of further research will be required before any definite conclusions can be drawn." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn