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Autografted Carotid Body Tissue Relieves Parkinsonian Symptoms In Monkeys WESTPORT, Apr 23 (Reuters Health) - Autotransplantation of dopamine-secreting cells from the carotid body into the putamen leads to functional recovery in monkeys with severe parkinsonism, according to a multicenter team of researchers in Spain. The investigators, led by Dr. M. Rosario Luquin of the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, explain that in previous studies in rats, it became clear that cells in the carotid bodies "...derive from the neural crest and are among the cells with the highest dopamine content." They now report in the April 23rd issue of Neuron on studies in which carotid cell body aggregates were autografted into the left putamen of two monkeys with chronic parkinsonism, which had been produced in the animals by injection of the neurotoxin MPTP. The researchers say that 2 to 4 weeks after the transplant procedure, the monkeys began to show "...a progressive recovery of mobility with reduction of tremor and bradykinesia and restoration of fine motor abilities on the contralateral side." Histologic studies of brain sections using anti-tyrosine hydroxylase antibodies to identify dopaminergic cells showed dense reinnervation of the putamen and caudate nucleus on the side of the autograft. "The nongrafted, contralateral striatum remained deafferented." The researchers conclude that intrastriatal autografting of tissue from the carotid body is effective in monkeys and "...could also be applied to treat patients with Parkinson's disease." Neuron 1999;22:743-750. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited