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Good question! Most therapy strategies seem to assume the da production is steady but diminishes with loss of pigmented cells in the SN. On the other hand depletion of da, either by loss or use, seems to be exponential, i.e., fastest when there is more of it around. This combination must be somewhat true in any system that is to maintain a stable equilibrium. Cheers, Joe J. R. Bruman (818) 789-3694 3527 Cody Road Sherman Oaks CA 91403 On Thu, 27 Feb 1997, Ron Reiner wrote: > Here is something I've been wondering about. My doctor tells me that the > substantia nigra (SN) produces dopamine which is a neurotransmitter for > controlling many important bodily functions. > > Does a healthy SN produce dopa at a constant rate all the time like a faucet > turned on at one flow level? Or does it sometimes turn off, slow down or > increase the flow? Does the SN simply try to keep a fixed concentration of > dopa in the brain? If it isn't a constant flow, what determines the amount > of dopa to be generated at any given time? > > Anyone have an explanation that I could understand? > > Ron Reiner >