Brian,
You wrote in part:
----------
>
> My philosophy in taking levodopa is to take just as much as is needed to
> restore the dopamine levels in the brain to what they were before the
> symptoms of PD occurred. I do NOT agree with stuffing a large quantity
> of levodopa into the brain in the morning, and keeping it there all day,
> because that is a configuration which does not occur in a normal person.
1. Do we in fact know that dopamine levels do not vary in the
non-PD brain?
> I have a model in mind where the dopamine flows in nicely regulated
> quantities, reaching the places that it was supposed to reach, and not
> getting into other areas. As soon as the dopamine level exceeds that well-
> regulated level, I imagine it spilling out from its proper channels and
> starting to overrun neurons and synapses which were not supposed to be
> zapped at that time, and thus initiating movements which were not intended
> (i.e. Dysknesias. It also explains why each person has his own little
> collection of dyskinesic movements: The dopamine will have a pretty well-
> worn track to follow since it is overflowing on a regular basis, so we
> might expect the same symptoms each day.
2. How does the above fit in with the increase in dyskinesia
associated with stress. I have observed in both myself and
others that even minor levels of stress can exacerbate dyskinetic
movements. Presumably a relatively calm 'on' state implies a
correct dopamine level in the brain. A sudden increase in
dyskinesia implies a sudden imbalance (excess?) in dopamine
levels. To use your imagery, what was a correct level of dopamine,
in response to an outside stimulus, starts to spill over into areas
in which it is not required. Any thoughts as to why.
3 You have spoken in other postings of dyskinesia being the result
of the progress of the disease and not of growing intolerance to
levadopa (have I correctly stated your position?). This would suggest
that as the disease progresses and less dopamine is naturally available,
the brain will require, and tolerate, higher levels of introduced dopamine.
As this does not appear to happen I would appreciate a fullier explanation
of your contention.
Thanks Brian
Dennis
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Dennis Greene 47/10
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