Neurotransmitters: Difference between revisions

Currently, treatment for the disease is aimed at DOPA decarboxylase inhibition. Since dopamine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, it cannot be used to directly treat Parkinson's disease. Thus, exogenously administered L-DOPA is the primary treatment for patients suffering from this neurodegenerative disease. Unfortunately, DOPA decarboxylase rapidly converts L-DOPA to dopamine in the blood stream, with only a small percentage reaching the brain. By inhibiting the enzyme,  greater amounts of exogenously administered L-DOPA can reach the brain, where it can then be converted to dopamine. <ref name="burkhard">PMID:11685243 </ref>. Unfortunately, with continued L-Dopa treatment, up to 80% of patients experience 'wearing-off' symptoms, dyskinesias and other motor complications (referred to as the "on-off phenomenon". <ref name="lees">PMID:1904055 </ref>. Clearly, a better understanding of the catalytic mechanism and enzymatic activity of DDC in both healthy and PD individuals is critical to drug design and treatment of the disease.

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== References ==

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