Cs, I was able to follow what you were saying but I'm too tired to understand it completely. I'll try again later.

I think that the biochemistry of the brain is hard to reduce to simple theories. There's much more than altered dopamine metabolism going on. Also, something that is harmful to the brain may also in some ways protect the brain. Even turmeric raises acetylcholine, which I'm trying to reduce with my artane.

I thought the following articles are very interesting and illuminate my point:

Pathogenic role of glial cells in Parkinson's disease


Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). The loss of these neurons is associated with a glial response composed mainly of activated microglial cells and, to a lesser extent, of reactive astrocytes. This glial response may be the source of trophic factors and can protect against reactive oxygen species and glutamate.

Alternatively, this glial response can also mediate a variety of deleterious events related to the production of pro-oxidant reactive species, and pro-inflammatory prostaglandin and cytokines. We discuss the potential protective and deleterious effects of glial cells in the SNpc of PD and examine how those factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/c...TRY=1&SRETRY=0

Viewpoint
Challenging conventional wisdom: The etiologic role of dopamine oxidative stress in Parkinson's disease
J. Eric Ahlskog, PhD, MD *

Oxidative stress is well documented in Parkinson's disease (PD) and has been attributed to dopamine oxidative metabolism. However, evidence of oxidative stress is found in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, suggesting that more general factors are responsible or that cytodestructive processes secondarily generate oxyradical products. Increasing evidence points away from dopamine metabolism as an important contributor to PD neurodegeneration. Predictions from the dopamine oxidative stress hypothesis of PD reveal multiple inconsistencies. Although the clinical and therapeutic importance of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is undeniable, PD neuropathology is much more widespread. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/c...3299/HTMLSTART

Back to the hood (sterile hood, not neighborhood!)

~Zucchini