Targeting Serotonin Transporters for the Treatment of L-DOPA-induced Dyskinesia
https://www.michaeljfox.org/foundati...p?grant_id=880
Preliminary findings from our laboratory had suggested that the FDA-approved anti-depressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) citalopram and paroxetine acutely reduced L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in a pre-clinical model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In the first year of support through The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Dyskinesia Challenge Program, we have been able to significantly extend these findings. Our first recently completed experiment demonstrated that the potent anti-dyskinetic effects of SSRIs, given as an interventional strategy, were maintained over several weeks and did not come at the expense of L-DOPA’s anti-parkinsonian efficacy. Preliminary findings from our second experiment, examining the protective effects of SSRIs on the development of LID are yielding complimentary results; that administering SSRIs prior to LID development delays or attenuates its expression. Collectively, our pre-clinical findings thus far implicate the translational potential of SSRIs for the treatment of LID for the PD patient.
Imad