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Hi Will, You wrote: >My theory in regards to your discussion is that I think that the healthy >brain produces an over- >abundance of dopamine which for the most part ( 80% ? ) goes wasted or gets >amortized by other substances, like MAO and others. We know there are >plenty. Only when the death of cells causes an additional loss of dopamine, >will a shortage become evident. >Does not this sound quite different than assuming that we can lose 80% of >producing cells >or 80% of dopamine production before we notice the effect? The fact that we can loose so much of our substantia nigra AND the dopamine it produces before the onset of PD seems to indicate that the uneffected brain does indeed produce an over-abundance of dopamine. However I think you will find that it has been established by researchers (as opposed to assumed by us) that "we have lost in the region of 80% of the substantia nigra AND the dopamine it produces before symptoms appear and a diagnosis can be made" (the bit in quotes is my new catch-all wording). Dennis. ************************************************** Dennis Greene 48/11 [log in to unmask] http://members.networx.net.au/~dennisg/ **************************************************