[lurkingforacure]

A PET scanner you can wear on your head, mapping and monitoring levels of dopamine (and other things) as you move about, this could be very very helpful for furthering research. Tests of a rat wearing the cap showed that the more active the rat was, the LESS dopamine level in the brain, just the opposite of what researchers expected. What does this mean? Perhaps this is why exercise is so important, does it actually helps conserve dopamine?

Here's the link:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babba...edical_imaging

[BUZZZ]

Originally Posted by lurkingforacure

A PET scanner you can wear on your head, mapping and monitoring levels of dopamine (and other things) as you move about, this could be very very helpful for furthering research. Tests of a rat wearing the cap showed that the more active the rat was, the LESS dopamine level in the brain, just the opposite of what researchers expected. What does this mean? Perhaps this is why exercise is so important, does it actually helps conserve dopamine?

Here's the link:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babba...edical_imaging

:My Stalevo 150 will not work if i am lying down!

[lindylanka]

Do we NEED to conserve dopamine, isn't the point that it should get to where is is actually needed, and get utilized. I thought what we needed to conserve was our ability to produce dopamine......

[paula_w]

a neuro told me several years ago that light exercise would get you on but also use it up more quickly.

[lurkingforacure]

Originally Posted by paula_w

a neuro told me several years ago that light exercise would get you on but also use it up more quickly.

More quickly than what?

We actually asked our neuro about this a couple years ago, and he said the opposite! I have heard that a light walk can help reduce your on time, for us, it sometimes helps the sinemet kick in faster.

What I read the article to say is that they expected there to be more dopamine readings in the brain when the rats moved around because, well, they were moving around, and movement requires more dopaminethan non movement (or so we are currently lead to believe, I personally think there is much more to being able to move than just dopamine).

But there was less..to me, this indicates that movement does NOT "use up" dopamine, especially not faster.

I do know that more and more docs are urging their patients to exercise as much as they are able. Why? Why does exercise help PD? And why does it help ALL people with PD? Most drugs/treatments only help some of the people with PD, some of the time, for some of the symptoms. But apparently not exercise, it helps with everything, and it helps everybody with PD. Makes one wonder.

[lindylanka]

Could the simple answer to exercise being good for us that it improves our circulation? Including to the brain....... If there is one thing I know is is that rigidity and poverty of movement impair circulation. Not sure how this applies to those who are dyskinetic, but the link with RLS is strong, similar problem.....

[imark3000]

My experience is:
-Any kind of mental activity increases my tremor (using up available dopamine?)
- Stress increases my tremor (using up available dopamine?)
- Physical exercise greatly reduces my tremor ( see article below)
Imad

http://mentalhealth.about.com/od/dep...owexercise.htm
" We know that exercise has positive effects on the brain. Researchers at Duke University demonstrated several years ago that exercise has antidepressant properties. Other research has shown that exercise can improve the brain functioning of the elderly and may even protect against dementia. How does exercise improve mental health?

One theory for some of the benefits of exercise include the fact that exercise triggers the production of endorphins. These natural opiates are chemically similar to morphine. They may be produced as natural pain relievers in response to the shock that the body receives during exercise. However, researchers are beginning to question whether endorphins improve mood. Studies are showing that the body's metabolism of endorphins is complex, and there are likely additional mechanisms involved in the mental health effects of exercise.

Some studies have found that exercise boosts activity in the brain's frontal lobes and the hippocampus. We don't really know how or why this occurs. Animal studies have found that exercise increases levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters have been associated with elevated mood, and it is thought that antidepressant medications also work by boosting these chemicals.

Exercise has also been found to increase levels of "brain-derived neurotrophic factor" (BDNF). This substance is thought to improve mood, and it may play a role in the beneficial effects of exercise. BDNF's primary role seems to be to help brain cells survive longer, so this may also explain some of the beneficial effects of exercise on dementia."

[reverett123]

Exercise alters levels of cortisol, ACTH, norepinephrine, etc.
These all tie in to our stress systems.
We know that acute stress worsens our symptoms.
Cortisol is the body's tool to keep inflammation in check.
Inflammation is a part of PD.
Cortisol levels are above normal in PWP.

Maybe the dopamine is a red herring and the real story is being overlooked. Not just cortisol, but rather a half-dozen hormones working together.