Over a two-year period one hundred and sixty-two patients with Parkinson's disease have been treated with L-DOPA in a cooperative study involving four hospitals in the Montreal area. The clinical results for the first consecutive one hundred patients treated for longer than three months are reviewed. These observations warrant the conclusion that L-DOPA is by far the best currently available treatment for Parkinson's disease. Some potentially troublesome side effects still exist and these require further investigations.
References
1.
AndénN. E., CarlssonA., DahlstromA., FuxeK., HillarpN. Å., and LarssonK.: Demonstration and mapping out of nigro-neostriatal dopamine neurons.Life Sci.3: 523–530, 1964.
2.
BarbeauA.: “The Current Therapy of Parkinson's Disease”. In: Current Therapy, ConH. F. (ed.), Philadelphia and London, W. B. Saunders Co. p. 685, 1968.
3.
BarbeauA., MurphyG. F., and SourkesT. L.: Excretion of dopamine in diseases of basal ganglia.Science133: 1706–1707, 1961.
4.
BarbeauA.: Dopamine and dopamine metabolites in Parkinson's disease. A review.Proc. Aust. Ass. Neurol.5: 95–100, 1968.
5.
BarbeauA.: “Biochemistry of Parkinson's Disease”. In: Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Neurology, Roma, September 10–15, 1961, Societa Grafica Romana 2, p. 925, 1961.
6.
BarbeauA.: Traitement de la maladie de Parkinson par la L-DOPA.Union Médicale Can.98: 183–186, 1969.
7.
BarbeauA.: L-DOPA therapy in Parkinson's disease: a critical review of nine years experience.Canad. Med. Ass. J.101: 791–800, 1969.
8.
BarbeauA., and TrombitasS.: “The Metabolism of Tritium Labelled Dopamine in Parkinsonian Patients”. In: Progress in Neuro-Genetics, BarbeauA., and, BrunetteJ. R., eds., Excerpta Medica Foundation, Amsterdam. I.C.S. No. 175, 352, 1969.
9.
BarbeauA., Gillo-JoffroyL., BoucherR., NowaczynskiW., and GenestJ.: Renin aldosterone system in Parkinson's disease.Science165: 291–292, 1969.
10.
BarbeauA., MarsH., and Gillo-JoffroyL.: “Adverse Clinical Side Effects of L-DOPA Therapy in Parkinson's Disease”. In: Recent Advances in Parkinson's Disease, McDowellF. H., and, MarkhamC. H., eds., Philadelphia, F. A. Davis, Contemporary Neurology Series, Vol. 8, p. 203–237, 1971.
11.
BirkmayerW., and HornykiewiczO.: Der L-3,4-dioxyphenyalanin (DOPA)-Effekt bei der Parkinson Akinese.Wien. Klin. Wschr.73: 787–788, 1961.
12.
BoshesB.: The effects of placebo therapy in Parkinson's disease.J. Neurosurg.24: 351–352, 1966.
13.
CalneD. B., SternG. M., LaurenceD. R., SharkeyJ., and ArmittageP.: L-DOPA in post-encephalitic Parkinsonism.Lanceti: 744–747, 1969.
14.
CalneD. B., SpiersA. S. D., SternG. M., and LaurenceD. R.: L-DOPA in idiopathic Parkinsonism.Lancetii: 973–976, 1969.
15.
CarlssonA., LindqvistM., and MagnussonT.: 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and 5-hydroxytryptophan as reserpine antagonists.Nature180: 1200, 1957.
16.
CotziasG. C., VanWoertM. H., and SchifferL. M.: Aromatic amino acids and modification of Parkinsonism.New Eng. J. Med.276: 374–379, 1967.
17.
CotziasG. C., and PapavasiliouP. S.: Long-term effects of D-L and L-DOPA on Parkinsonian patients. In:Progress in Neuro-Genetics, BarbeauA., and, BrunetteJ. R., eds., Excepta Medica Foundation, Amsterdam, I.C.S. No. 175: 357–365, 1969.
18.
CotziasG. C., PapavasiliouP. S., and GelleneR.: Modification of Parkinsonism: chronic treatment with L-DOPA.New Eng. J. Med.280: 337–345, 1969.
19.
DegkwitzR., FroweinR., KulenkampffC., and MohsV.: Uber die Wirkungen der L-DOPA beim Menschen und deren Beinflussung deerch Reserpin, Chlorpro-mazin, Ipromiazid und Vitamin B6.Klin Wochschr.38: 120–123, 1960.
20.
DeryJ. P., DeGrootJ. A., LaurinC., and BarbeauA.: Nouvelle méthode d'évaluation objective de la rigidité et du tremblement dans la maladie de Parkinson.Union Médicale Can.91: 842–847, 1962.
21.
EhringerH., and HornykiewiczO.: Verteilung von noradrenalin und dopamin (3-hydroxytyramin) im Gehirn des Menschen und ihr Verhalten beim Erkrankungen des extrapyramidalen Systems.Klin. Wschr.38: 1236–1239, 1960.
22.
EverettG. M., and WiegandR. G.: “Central Amines and Behavioral States: A Critique and New Data”. In: Proceedings First International Pharmacological Meeting, Vol. 8, p. 82, 1962.
23.
FasanoV. A., UrciuoliR., BroggiG., and CannellaM.: Il Levodopa nel trattamento del morbo di Parkinson.Minerva Medica60: 4733–4745, 1969.
24.
Godwin-AustenR. B., TomlinsonE. B., FrearsC. C., and KokH. W. L.: Effect of L-DOPA in Parkinson's disease.Lancetii: 165–168, 1969.
25.
GoldsteinM., AnagnosteB., OwenW. S., and BattistaA. F.: The effects of ventro-medial lesions on the biosynthesis of catecholamines in the striatum.Life Sci.5: 2171–2173, 1966.
26.
HornykiewiczO.: Dopamine (3-hydroxytyramine) and brain function.Pharmacol. Rev.18: 925–964, 1966.
27.
JoubertM., and BarbeauA.: Méthode de mesure de l'akinésie.Union Médicale Can.95: 531–535, 1966.
28.
JoubertM., and BarbeauA.: “Akinesia in Parkinson's Disease”. In:Progress in Neuro-Genetics, BarbeauA., and, BrunetteJ. R., eds., Excerpta Medica Foundation, Amsterdam. I.C.S. No. 175: 366–376, 1969.
29.
KlawansH. L., and GarvinJ. S.: Treatment of Parkinsonism with L-DOPA: study of 105 patients.Dis Nervous Syst.30: 737–746, 1969.
30.
MawdsleyC.: Treatment of Parkinsonism with Levo-Dopa.Brit Med. J.i: 331–337, 1970.
31.
McDowellF., LeeJ. E., SwiftT., SweetR. D., OgsburyJ. S., and KesslerJ. T.: Treatment of Parkinson's Syndrome with L - Dihydroxyphenylalanine (Levodopa).Ann. Int. Med.72: 29–35, 1970.
32.
MonesR. J., and ElizanT. S.: A short term evaluation of L-DOPA therapy in 34 patients with Parkinsonism.J. Mount Sinai Hasp. New York36: 503–515, 1969.
33.
PeastonM. J. T., and BianchineJ. R.: Metabolic studies and clinical observations during L-DOPA treatment of Parkinson's disease.Brit. Med. J.i: 400–403, 1970.
34.
PoirierL. J., and SourkesT. L.: Influence of the substantia nigra on the catecholamine content of the striatum.Brain88: 181–192, 1965.
35.
YahrM. D., DuvoisinR. C., HoehnM. M., SchearM. J., and BarrettR. E.: L-DOPA (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine). Its clinical effects in Parkinsonism.Trans. Amer. Neurol. Ass.93: 57–63, 1968.
36.
YahrM. D., DuvoisinR. C., SenearJ. J., and BarrettR. E.: Treatment of Parkinsonism with Levodopa.Arch. Neurol.21: 343–354, 1969.
