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Steve I have long failed to understand the role of dopamine in PD but then my education has been in the social, not biological, sciences. I ask: How do they know I'm lacking dopamine when there is no blood test to measure how much I have? (and I don't want to wait til I die to find out) Why if lack of dopamine caused my tremors do leads in my brain that constantly transmit electric impulses from neurotransmittters in my chest stop them? And how was DBS able to immediately straighten out my dystonic foot? Since DBS 4 ago years I've kind of plateaued except for my voice. I don't think the disease process is understood at all, even though they say it is, but then what do I know? And I don't buy that you've lost 80% of your dopamine before you become symptomatic. If lack of it is the cause, how do you function so long without the right amount whatever that might be? Why do PD meds affect people so differently? A few years ago Edith Love and Mario attempted to develop a data base to share info. We need something at least nationally. Ray Rayilyn Brown Board Member AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Rack" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, June 18, 2007 8:31 PM Subject: barking up the wrong tree > Ray I'm going to go out on a scary limb here. Dopamine is a > neuro-transmitter, one of many identified in our brain. Highly > specialized chemicals these - each with a specific task - except (it > seems) dopamine. Dopamine is the transmitter of mood and movement. Or > is it? I don't know of another dual purpose neuro-transmitter. Do > you? Perhaps there's a fundamental reason that sinemet and the > agonist drugs give us strange side effects before losing what > effectiveness they had and failing entirely. Have our researchers > been barking up the wrong tree? > -- > Steve Rack > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > Brattleboro VT > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn