Therapeutic action of D-phenylalanine in Parkinson's disease.

Arzneimittel-Forschung (Aulendorf) 26(4):577-579, 1976

An open field trial of D-phenylalanine was made in 15 patients with Parkinson's disease of 6 months' to 13 years' duration. All medication was suspended 10 days before the trial, and the patients received only 200mg-500mg D-phenylalanine daily, divided into 2 doses, for 4 weeks. Positive results were highly significant in relation to rigidity, walking disabilities, speech difficulties, and mental depression, but no significant therapeutic results were obtained in regard to tremor. The therapeutic action on the total development of the disease may be considered highly significant. The results suggest a special cholinergic origin of tremor in Parkinson's disease, and in these cases a combination of the amino acid with anticholinergic agents should be tried.


A patent was issued for its use in PD in 1984
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