Brian Collins wrote:
>
> On Thu 28 Nov, Pat Reilly wrote:
> > Margaret Mates wrote:
> > >
> > > At a recent PD support group meeting here in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
> > > we had a session of relaxation followed by light resistance
> > > exercise. During the relaxation phase of the "workout" I found that
> > > my tremors (arms and legs) became worse; during the resistance
> > > exercises the tremors lessened. However, another member of our group
> > > experienced just the opposite; quiet (no tremor visible) until we
> > > started the exercises then his hand and arm tremors really got going.
> > > Can anyone speculate as to what might cause this difference in tremor
> > > reaction to relaxation and exercise? Margaret Mates
> >
> > Margaret
> > While exercising and streaching blood flow to the muscles is increased
> > to provide more oxygen and fuel (sugars). Dopa is used by the muscles
> > as a sugar which implies reduced levels in blood stream and less to the
> > brain. If you were close to your next meds the increased exercise may
> > have dropped your blood levels to low. When I exercise I have to take
> > extra meds to supplement usually a 10/100 and my regular 50/200 sinememt
> > before and another 10/100 after.
> >
> > Aloha
> > Pat Reilly
> >
> >
> There is a misunderstanding in this note which I would like to rectify:
> Pat Reilly concludes that increased exercise results in depletion of
> Dopamine in the body, and hence less Dopamine to the brain. This is not
> how the body works. The function of Dopamine in the brain is to act as a
> neuro-transmitter, and it has its own production plant in the brain (The
> Substantia Nigra) This system exist as a completely separate entity to
> the rest of the body, where Dopamine is one of the many Large Neutral
> Amino Acids which are concerned with the transport of Protein around the
> body. This Dopamine is produced by the Adrenal glands. The two systems
> are kept totally apart by the Blood-Brain Barrier, which will not allow
> Dopamine to pass.
> So it is not Dopamine level in the body which is to blame. My guess,
> for what it is worth, is that Margaret Mates was showing the normal
> Parkinson's tremor, and was under-dosed at the time (i.e. the Dopamine in
> her brain was less than optimum) whereas the other person who's 'hand and
> arm tremors really got going' was exibiting the signs of too much
> Dopamine - dyskinesia. In my experience, when underdosed, large sweeping
> movements are quite easy to do smoothly, probably because the feedback
> signal to the brain are ignored until the arm or leg has reached the
> intended position: only then does the feedback circuit become effective
> and the old tremor starts up again. Dyskinesias on the other hand are
> random movements of the muscles, triggered by the excess Dopamine in the
> brain, and these will completely destroy the careful or graceful moves.
>
> Incidentally, I used to play Badminton in the earlier days of my PD, and
> I too used to take a 'Booster tablet' thinking that I needed it. I now am
> sure that in fact this is not so. The dopamine is a neural transmitter:
> it passes on messages alomg the chain of neurons carrying the message
> from the brain to the muscle. THe same amount of Dopamine is required to
> make the arm move gently or move forcefully. However, it was most
> important that I did not become underdosed while leaping about, because
> I knew that I could not play effectively in that condition. The extra
> tablet was effectively an extra bit of insurance.
> Regards
> --
> Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>
Brian,
I concure with your statment that the body and brain
dopamine systems are seperate and not related. However, I was not
addressing Dopamine, what I was talking about actually was the L-Dopa
traveling in the blood stream. Since L-Dopa is a smaller molecule it is
what crosses the blood-brain barrier and then is converted into
dopamine.
In my research what I've discovered is that the L-Dopa molecule
is the one that is used by the muscules as a sugar. If the blood levels
of L-Dopa is reduced then the brain has less of a supply to convert
which implies less dopamine in the brain. (Agree/Disagree)
I'm sorry it's taken so long to respond but it's finals time out
here for my wife and daughter college cources and we all share the same
computer, ie. I'm last to get on.
Aloha
Pat Reilly
[log in to unmask]
PS. George the weather has been pleasent here, and we've been having
afternoon showers which produce the most beautiful rainbows, when I get
to see them. I don't miss the snow because it's in my freezer all year
long, and thats where it belongs.
