Hi EnglishCountry Dancer,
Sorry I took a while to reply, I don't kmow the efferects of Agonists like Requip, (Ropinirole), on the BBB. I did a search, and came up with a lot of references, but I can't find anything which tells us whether agonists have any direct effect on the permeability of the BBB. Anyone else got any info.?
Ron

Ron-

Agreed. And again my apologies. I got excited by Paula's unexpected offer and don't want to hijack your thread. I will start a seperate thread for the "MultiHit Hypothesis" and will contribute here as appropriate. I hope you will do the same. As you say, sooner or later. And the great thing is if anyone "wins" we all do.

Paula,
This is an excellent plan. Here is the list of treatments I have found that affect the porosity of the BBB.

DECREASE POROSITY l
GDNF l
Curcumin l
F Folic acid
Alpha Lipoic Acid l
Methylprednisolone l
Citicholine l

INCREASE POROSITY
Stress
Old age
Nitric oxide
Carbon monoxide
Organic phosphates


In every case, the list which decreases porosity improves symptons
In every case, the list which increases porosity makes symptons worse
Can we add to this list. It is important to get any negatiive information also. Are there any exceptions???

Add to this, Leenders work shows Parkies have a defective (Leaky) BBB.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/c...73259/ABSTRACT

A similar mechanism has been proposed for MS
http://www.althealth.co.uk/help_and_...ple_sclerosis4

Indeed, MS has been described as a disease of the BBB.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-b...ier#Meningitis

"Alzheimer’s disease may be due to a breakdown in the blood brain barrier."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-brain_barrier

Encephalitis causes the BBB to widen its pores.
People who got encephalitis in the 1918 epidemic, all got PD later.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/p...ns_disease.htm

Above is a concise summary of much of the evidence to date.
But every answer raises more questions.
" Could gluten play a role in leaky gut or leaky brain... (From Cara).
The period in time that the BBB is closed or opened varies with each compound or treatment. Can we find a safe additive which closes the BBB down either permanently or for a very long period. If we find such an additive, could our treatment simply be a once a month dose with no side effects like dyskinesia??? Not really a cure, but as good as.
A tempting idea, but looking at the facts above, maybe not too speculative.
Ron

Rick - An opportunity to question FOX Foundation about research doesn't come everyday- it is an exciting opportunity. But just so you [all] know, anyone attending PAN can question any other researcher you get a chance to talk with at the forum. That's what is so good about the forum - you talk to researchers and other professionals in the field, as well as lobby your legislators.

I'd just like to have something to refer to and give them afterward if they are interested in taking it. Not too long and referenced - nothing ventured, nothing gained. I was talking to the Rick that said "give me 100 parkies and I'll find a cure."

Ron I see your post as I'm typing this - I'm going to read everything and see how much I understand. Thanks much.

Michael as well, I love reading what you come up with and will ask about anything that I get the chance to - I find the whole intestinal brain thing fascinating and that vagus nerve thing made me remember an auto accident I was in in college that resulted in great facial pain for awhile - excrutiating. They said it was a nerve.....right side.....same as my PD...so many possibilities. Did I get PD that day?

OK i'll keep this thread to BBB now thanks all.

Paula

Why not make the research you are talkilng about doing a sub forum of this one.

Ron,

The wikipedia links are the only two that worked for me. The others are outdated maybe.

Thelma,
i misunderstood you...lol...I've had the PAN forum on my mind.....that's not a bad idea. What do others think?

paula

Adding insult to injury (pun intended) it seems that neuronal death opens the BBB from the inside Now isn't that just jolly.

1: Eur J Neurosci. 2005 Sep;22(5):1158-68.

6-Hydroxydopamine-induced alterations in blood-brain barrier permeability.

Carvey PM, Zhao CH, Hendey B, Lum H, Trachtenberg J, Desai BS, Snyder J, Zhu YG,
Ling ZD.

Rush University Medical Center, Department of Pharmacology, Cohn 406, Chicago,
IL 60612, USA. pcarvey@rush.edu

Vascular inflammation is well known for its ability to compromise the function
of the blood--brain barrier (BBB). Whether inflammation on the parenchymal side
of the barrier, such as that associated with Parkinson's-like dopamine (DA)
neuron lesions, similarly disrupts BBB function, is unknown. We assessed BBB
integrity by examining the leakage of FITC-labeled albumin or horseradish
peroxidase from the vasculature into parenchyma in animals exposed to the DA
neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6OHDA). Unilateral injections of 6OHDA into the
striatum or the medial forebrain bundle produced increased leakage in the
ipsilateral substantia nigra and striatum 10 and 34 days following 6OHDA.
Microglia were markedly activated and DA neurons were reduced by the lesions.
The areas of BBB leakage were associated with increased expression of
P-glycoprotein and beta 3-integrin expression suggesting, respectively, a
compensatory response to inflammation and possible angiogenesis. Behavioural
studies revealed that domperidone, a DA antagonist that normally does not cross
the BBB, attenuated apomorphine-induced stereotypic behaviour in animals with
6OHDA lesions. This suggests that drugs which normally have no effect in brain
can enter following Parkinson-like lesions. These data suggest that the events
associated with DA neuron loss compromise BBB function.

PMID: 16176358 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Thelma, Paula,
The idea of a sub forum sounds a good idea, but how do we go about it?

Paula, Sorry the links don't work, I will have a go at trying to fix them.
The Leenders work, this one works for me,
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/c...TRY=1&SRETRY=0

BBB leakier with age.
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/p...ns_disease.pdf

Stress
http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/pdf...4/15024-10.pdf

nitric oxide
http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/pdf...4/15024-10.pdf

Carbon monoxide
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/f.../carbmono.html

Organic phosphates
http://www.foresight-preconception.o...oklet_agro.htm


http://bjo.bmj.com/cgi/collection/Mu...halmol&page=29

MS
http://www.althealth.co.uk/help_and_...ple_sclerosis4

Paula, I see what went wrong, the address was shortened by the computer to make it fit a space. Let me know if the abovre don't work
Ron

Ron, thanks for links, and Rick, if that research is correct, does it reinforce the need to tighten the BBB and drip something through it to stop the lethal catch22?

What do we have to stop the deadly process - handy right now - that works well enough and is safe enough on the shelf? hmmmm

Where would you rather be? Up and moving with some discomfort of installed pump/catheter or frozen and fed through a tube? tough one

paula

Regardless if you look at it as a cause or effect, a leaky BBB is bad news. Especially if you have a slow GI system putting extra toxins into the system.

-rick