I previously posted the link between the Blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and PD. Everything that increases permeability increases PD symptoms, everything that decreases permeability improves symptoms. In other words, we parkies have a defective BBB, with higher porosity than normal.
I mentioned that statins reduce the permeabilty of the BBB, see
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en..._uids=16729291
and predicted statins should improve PD symptoms.
Now, evidence has been recently published showing Simvastastin reduces the incidence of PD.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-rfs071707.php

"Boston, MA -- Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that the statin, simvastatin, reduces the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease by almost 50 percent. This is the first study to suggest that statins might reduce the incidence of Parkinson’s disease. These findings, will be published in the July online open access journal BioMed Central (BMC) Medicine."
See also,
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurolog...isease/tb/6202


I have found a professor who specialises in the BBB, who is interested in the connection with PD, and intends to work on it when she finishes travelling in August.

One other point on the BBB. We know stress has a catestrophic effect on PDers, and opens the pores of the BBB. Could it be that when stress widens the perneability, that carbidopa is able to enter the brain, and prevent the decarboxylation of levodopa to dopamine, causing a freeze.
Carbidopa is added to levodpa in Sinemet, to prevent breakdown of the levodopa whilst it is in the body. Carbidopa cannot normally pass the BBB.
Ron