We are told that we have a disease whose existence has to be taken on faith since there is no way to diagnose it. But if Ldopa fixes you then just take your pills and go home. Trust us. The Ldopa wouldn't helpif you didn't have it, now would it? Well a big Ho Ho Ho!


1. Neurosci Lett. 2010 Nov 25. [Epub ahead of print]

L-DOPA reverses motor deficits associated with normal aging in mice.

Allen E, Carlson KM, Zigmond MJ, Cavanaugh JE.

Department of Pharmacology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA.

We wished to determine whether L-DOPA, a common treatment for the motor deficits
in Parkinson's disease, could also reverse the motor deficits that occur during
aging. We assessed motor performance in young (2-3 months) and old (20-21 months)
male C57BL/6 mice using the challenge beam and cylinder tests. Prior to testing,
mice were treated with L-DOPA or vehicle. Following testing, striatal tissue was
analyzed for phenotypic markers of dopamine neurons: dopamine, dopamine
transporter, and tyrosine hydroxylase. Although the dopaminergic markers were
unchanged with age or L-DOPA treatment, L-DOPA reversed the motor deficits in the
old animals such that their motor coordination was that of a young mice. These
findings suggest that some of the locomotor deficits that accompany normal aging
are responsive to L-DOPA treatment and may be due to subtle alterations in
dopaminergic signaling.


PMID: 21111775 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Hi Rick,
This confirms my thoughts on the subject of aging. For some years now I have remarked to my wife that when you study the movements of an elderly person, they are identical to a person with advanced PD. They take short steps, very slowly, terrified in case they fall, make a grab for anything they can hold on to. Freeze if they come face to face with a person or obstacle. I remember saying I would love to give one of my elderly non PD friends a Sinemet, and obseve the effect. I feel convinced they would show an improvemet.
It surely is worth a clinical trial and maybe the quality of life could be improved for the aged.
Ron

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this.