P a r k i n s o n ’s disease (PD) still has to be treated with dopaminergic drugs and levodopa is the most effective drug in the treatment of PD. Howe v e r, levodopa therapy presents two basic problems: its poor central availability (only about 1% of an oral levodopa dose reaches the brain) and its short elimination half-life (about one hour). Combination with a dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (D...

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of high frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) on axial symptoms occurring in advanced stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS The efficacy of STN stimulation on total motor disability score (unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) part III) were evaluated in 10 patients with severe Parkinson's disease. The subscores were then studi...

Introdução. A rasagilina recentemente começou a ser utilizada no Brasil para tratar pacientes com Doença de Parkinson (DP) que apresentam complicações motoras consequentes ao uso da levodopa. Objetivo. Por um fármaco novo, o objetivo desta revisão sistemática foi avaliar os efeitos terapêuticos e segurança isoladamente associada levodopa tratamento dos sintomas motores DP. Método. As plataforma...

The authors previously showed that a single dose of levodopa improves the contrast sensitivity and decreases the size of fixation point scotomas in amblyopic patients. In the present study, they investigated the effect of levodopa after 1 wk of daily administration using a cross-over, double masked design. The decrease of fixation point scotomas was confirmed with automatic static perimetry. An...

Senek, M. 2018. New Approaches for Levodopa Treatment in Parkinson’s Disease. Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine 1437. 84 pp. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. ISBN 978-91-513-0256-0. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic cells, which results in dopamine depletion. Levodopa is the most effective sympto...

During the past decade, a number of large drug trials suggested that the initiation of levodopa therapy should be delayed to reduce the risk of motor complications in patients with Parkinson's disease. However, the relative contribution of the cumulative exposure to levodopa and of disease progression to the pathophysiology of motor fluctuations and dyskinesias is still poorly understood. In th...

Coadministration of entacapone with levodopa attenuates motor complications in experimental models of Parkinson's disease. The mechanisms underlying entacapone effects are unknown. We investigated the effect of entacapone, on: long-duration response (LDR) to levodopa, levodopa-induced postsynaptic pharmacodynamic mechanisms and molecular changes in hemiparkinsonian rats. 6-Hydroxydopamine-unila...

Descrevemos um método eletroquímico para a determinação voltamétrica seqüencial de benserazida e levodopa usando cloroanil (CA) como eletro-catalisador. Para investigar a adequação do CA como mediador na oxidação eletrocatalitica da benserazida e levodopa, em solução aquosa, foram usadas a voltametria cíclica, voltametria de pulso diferencial, cronoamperometria e espectroscopia de impedância el...

OBJECTIVES The effects of levodopa on articulatory dysfunction in patients with Parkinson's disease remain inconclusive. This study aimed to investigate the effects of levodopa on isolated vowel articulation and motor performance in patients with moderate to severe Parkinson's disease, excluding speech fluctuations caused by dyskinesia. METHODS 21 patients (14 males and 7 females) and 21 age-...

Las distonías que responden a levodopa (DRD, siglas en inglés) abarcan un grupo de primarias, causadas por deficiencias enzimáticas la vía metabólica las aminas y, definición, comparten como característica principal su respuesta favorable y sostenida levodopa. Existen hasta seis genes asociados DRD, siendo el gen GCH1 más frecuentemente involucrado. La presentación típica esta entidad se caract...