Anatomical and neurochemical characterization of basal ganglia neuropeptides in levodopainduceddyskinesia

The most common treatment for Parkinson's disease is levodopa (L-DOPA). This usually gives good relief of symptom for many years but, eventually, complications such as abnormal involuntary movements (levodopa-induced dyskinesia) develop in many patients. It is still not known exactly how giving levodopa to a patient triggers abnormal movements. If we knew this, we could devise ways of preventing or treating the complication. We do have some clues to go on, however. We now know which parts of the brain are involved and, in general terms, what way they are behaving abnormally. In recent years, evidence has accumulated that brain chemicals called neuropeptides may be an important step in producing dyskinesias. This project will study the production of these chemicals in the brain and the way in which this changes in parkinsonism and dyskinesias.