Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2006 Aug;5(8):677-87.
doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(06)70521-X.

Continuous dopamine-receptor treatment of Parkinson's disease: scientific rationale and clinical implications

C Warren Olanow  1 , Jose A Obeso, Fabrizio Stocchi
Affiliations
Review

Continuous dopamine-receptor treatment of Parkinson's disease: scientific rationale and clinical implications

C Warren Olanow et al. Lancet Neurol. 2006 Aug.

Abstract

Levodopa-induced motor complications are a common source of disability for patients with Parkinson's disease. Evidence suggests that motor complications are associated with non-physiological, pulsatile stimulation of dopamine receptors. In healthy brains, dopamine neurons fire continuously, striatal dopamine concentrations are relatively constant, and there is continuous activation of dopamine receptors. In the dopamine-depleted state, standard levodopa therapy does not normalise the basal ganglia. Rather, levodopa or other short-acting dopaminergic drugs induce molecular changes and altered neuronal firing patterns in basal ganglia neurons leading to motor complications. The concept of continuous dopaminergic stimulation proposes that continuous delivery of a dopaminergic drug will prevent pulsatile stimulation and avoid motor complications. In monkeys treated with MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) and patients with Parkinson's disease, long-acting or continuous infusion of a dopaminergic drug reduces the risk of motor complications. The current challenge is to develop a long-acting oral formulation of levodopa that provides clinical benefits but avoids motor complications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources