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Current Science Reviews by Joe Bruman November 1995 (part 2) Durif, F., et al: Neur 1995;45:1855-1858: Levodopa-induced and apomorphine-induced dyskinesia was improved in 7 PD patients given fluoxetine (Prozac). (note: I tried Prozac last year and quit because it worsened tremor- JRB.) Hurwitz, A., et al: Neur 1995;45:1903-1906: The two most significant factors in PD etiology are pesticide exposure and family history. Researchers looking for more positive biomarkers (see next item) thought the enzyme thiomethyltransferase (TMT) might be deficient in PD, but found no difference in 32 patients and 35 controls. (news item) JAMA 25 Oct 95;1257-1258: At the request of Congress, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) held a 2-day workshop on research priorities for PD. The main recommendations are: (1) factors that lead to premature cell death (2) genetic susceptibility (3) improvements in drug therapy (4) identification of clinically useful markers. Regarding (3), there is growing evidence that chronic levodopa therapy is toxic, and better dopamine agonists are needed. Regarding (4), the current PET technique is reliable and accurate, but too cumbersome for general screening. One possibility is a test of the detoxifying liver enzyme P-450 using the nontoxic surrogate debrisoquin. Cheers, Joe J. R. Bruman (818) 789-3694 3527 Cody Road Sherman Oaks CA 91403