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Would someone more familiar with scientific jargon than I am, please advise me as to the meaning of the phrase "single crossover design, on alternate days, aspartame (600 or 1,200 mg) and placebo", in the context of the first quote below. Am I correct in believing that it means that every 24 hours the test subjects alternated between taking aspartame (in either a 600mg or 1200mg dose) and a placebo? If I am correct in this, it would mean that the study does not after all invalidate my own, admittedly subjective, experience in which the changes occurred "within 36 hours". Which leaves this little Cavia porcellus burrowing back under his straw and once more happy to leave well enough alone as regards his own hard won, if less than perfect, equilibrium. Or to put that another way, I no longer intend to reintroduce aspartame to my diet (at least not without a more compelling reason). For what it's worth: 1. I subscribe to no conspiracy theories, 2. I too have a tendency to be built like Hoss of Bonanza fame and wish I COULD use aspartame, 3. Prior to my personal experiment I had taken no position on aspartame. My experiment produced a result. I reported that result to my doctors and to the list. I said that I was "reasonably certain that in my case at least, aspartame has had the affect of reducing the amount of naturally occurring dopamine". I suggested that, in light of my experience "any PWP who regularly uses this substance ..... exclude it from their diet FOR A PERIOD to check what, IF ANY, effects it may be having on them". The experiment is so simple to conduct (just stop deliberately using aspartame for a period of about a week or so) and its results of such fundamental importance to us as individuals and as a community that I can't see why anyone would not try it. If this makes me a member of the "lunatic fringe" - so be it. 4. Whilst I may on occasion post to the list light-heartedly, I do not post to it lightly. I have too much respect for its membership and for our adversary to play fast and loose. Dennis Quotes included after signature group +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dennis Greene 49/dx 37/ onset 32 [log in to unmask] http://members.networx.net.au/~dennisg/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Quote from Janet Patterson's "PMID: 8451009: Aspartame use in Parkinson's disease" (Dec 25) "To determine the effect of aspartame on levodopa-treated Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, we studied 18 PD patients with protein-sensitive motor fluctuations by administering in a double-blind and single-crossover design, on alternate days, aspartame (600 or 1,200 mg) and placebo." Quote from my own "Aspartame" (Dec 25) "1. Within 36 hours of stopping aspartame my right side dyskinesia increased to the level of my pre-pallidotomy left side dyskinesia."