First, from 10/07/2010 Boston Globe
Scientists report new target for therapy in Parkinson's disease
"...An international consortium of scientists seeking the underpinnings of Parkinson's disease have found that genes involved in energy production go awry in brain cells, suggesting a new target for therapies....The sets of genes the scientists identified led them back to a master regulator gene called PGC-1 alpha. When they made that gene go into overdrive in neurons in a dish, they found it had a protective effect in models of Parkinson's disease. ..."

Second-

1. Med Sci (Paris). 2007 Oct;23(10):840-4.

[SIRT1/PGC-1: a neuroprotective axis?].

[Article in French]

Rasouri S, Lagouge M, Auwerx J.

Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/Inserm/ULP,
1, rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch, France.

Neurodegenerative diseases are more and more prevalent in our aging societies. A
rapid overview of the etiology of many neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer,
Parkinson, Huntington disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis suggests a tight
link with mitochondrial dysfunction. Since it has been recently demonstrated that
activation of the SIRT1/PGC-1 pathway, in a metabolic context promotes
mitochondrial function, we performed a detailed literature review on the
implication of this pathway in neurodegeneration. Interestingly, transgenic mice
with impaired PGC-1 expression have neurodegenerative lesions and show
behavioural abnormalities. As evidenced from independent investigations, enhanced
SIRT1 activity has been demonstrated to protect against axonal degeneration and
to decrease the accumulation of amyloid beta peptides, the hallmark of Alzheimer
disease, in cultured murine embryonic neurons. In addition, several studies
suggest that resveratrol, a specific activator of SIRT1, could have protective
effects in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. Taken together, these
results strongly suggest that the modulation of the SIRT1/PGC-1 pathway, which
has not been well documented in the central nervous system, could become the
cornerstone for new therapeutical approaches to combat neurodegeneration.


PMID: 17937892 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Third-
From the American Journal of Physiology, April 2009
Quercetin increases brain and muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and exercise tolerance
"...Quercetin is one of a broad group of natural polyphenolic flavonoid substances that are being investigated for their widespread health benefits. These benefits have generally been ascribed to its combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, but recent in vitro evidence suggests that improved mitochondrial biogenesis could play an important role....Quercetin increased mRNA expression of PGC-1α and SIRT1 (P < 0.05), mtDNA (P < 0.05) and cytochrome c concentration (P < 0.05). These changes in markers of mitochondrial biogenesis were associated with an increase in both maximal endurance capacity (P < 0.05) and voluntary wheel-running activity (P < 0.05). These benefits of querectin on fitness without exercise training may have important implications for enhancement of athletic and military performance and may also extend to prevention and/or treatment of chronic diseases. ...Our data indicate that PGC-1α and SIRT1 expression are increased significantly in both skeletal muscle and brain following just 7 days of quercetin feedings. ....The practical importance of this discovery lies in the fact that, unlike other flavonoids, like resveratrol, being studied for their benefits to health and performance, the plant source of quercetin is relatively inexpensive to grow and harvest, and the purification of quercetin is straightforward. It has also been shown to be safe and effective at relatively low dosages (e.g., 500–1000 mg/day) (10, 30). If these results translate clinically, these benefits of querectin may have important implications for enhancement of athletic and military performance. It is also intriguing to consider the possible relevance of these benefits of quercetin on various chronic diseases like cardiovascular, metabolic (e.g., type 2 diabetes), and neurodegenerative diseases in which physical inactivity and mitochondrial dysfunction are hallmarks. "
(Note: This third reference is one hell of an encouraging paper and I urge you to read it.)

Yes it is a tragedy that we have been stuck to dopamine replacement therapy for 50 years in spite of it’s obvious limitations and failures.
Recent research points to alternative routs such as GABA enhancement, curing mitochondria failure and targeting gene expression. Every day of delay in reaching the goal of real medicine means more suffering to PD patients and more multimillions $$$ of undeserved gains by the l-dopa industry.
With so many conspiracy theories dealt with by the media, I will not be surprised to find another one which may be called : The L-dopa scam !

Imad

Thank you Rick. It has so much to say in a relatively plain way. And as a bonus, it confirms the benifits of exercise.
Imad

we are not money makers if they perfect our treatments. we are money makers and guinea pigs if they keep expanding recommendations for dbs and gene therapy. see my new thread will make it now and let me know what you think of this guy. My neuro told me about him and BLIO for book publishing.

I think that the reason that I have better results in the evening is that I take a beta blocker and an angiotensin inhibitor in the morning and that an incompatability exists.

Admittedly it was a particularly fragrant variety growing wild in a great mass, but I will take it!

This morning I woke at 4 AM, got up and found myself carrying (as opposed to "using") my stick. Generally got around better than I have been upon arising. Took one each of sinemet and sinemet cr at 4:30.

Went back to bed at 5 AM and awakened again at 7 AM. Felt pretty good for awhile, alone in the dark

Today, for brief periods, I smelled chili cooking in the next room. A few minutes later I smelled an orange as I cut it!

aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! rock on and thx for sharing. perhaps a garden visit is in order- I LOVE essential oils-twisted my ankle a couple days aago and healed it with the help of lots of lavender oil -just slathered it on my ankle.

md

Hi,

I read your thread with great interest and was wondering if you can share if the quercetin is still working for you and what dosage are you still taking if it si still effective. Thx!

Hi. I am visiting from the PN forum.

I, too, would be grateful for an update on the quercetin.

Also, I found only one mention of possible dangers of quercetin in this thread. Could someone comment on risks and dose levels? So far, I have found this:

Precautions:

Quercetin is generally considered safe. Side effects may include headache and upset stomach. Preliminary evidence suggests that a byproduct of quercetin can lead to a loss of protein function. Very high doses of quercetin may damage the kidneys. You should take periodic breaks from taking quercetin.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women and people with kidney disease should avoid quercetin.

At high doses (greater than 1 g per day), there are some reports of damage to the kidneys.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/quercetin-000322.htm