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Amphetamines may slow Parkinson's, study shows
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| rabbitjoker |
| quote: | Amphetamines may slow Parkinson's, study shows
Thu Aug 4, 9:31 AM ET REUTERS
Amphetamines, including the party drug Ecstasy, have reversed the effects of Parkinson's disease in mice, researchers said on Wednesday.
Their finding does not suggest the use of now-illegal drugs to treat the incurable brain disease, but may offer a way forward in helping patients, they said.
The team at Duke University in North Carolina treated mice that were genetically modified to suffer from Parkinson's-like symptoms with more than 60 types of amphetamines.
Fourteen of the drugs helped reverse the symptoms of the mice, including the tremors and rigidity that mark the disease -- raising the possibility of exploring related treatments for humans.
"We hope to find new drugs that are close chemically, but safe," Marc Caron, who led the research, said in a telephone interview.
Parkinson's disease is caused by the death of brain cells that control physical movement and produce the essential chemical dopamine.
According to the American Parkinson's Disease Association, there are about 1.5 million Americans with the disease.
The new research shows that dopamine replacement, so far the most common, but only partly effective Parkinson's treatment, may not be the only viable option, Caron said.
Amphetamine-like drugs, not unlike those now given to children with attention deficit disorder, could eventually be used for Parkinson's, he said.
"We give these drugs in low doses to children, so it's not so terrible to say some day we should give similar drugs to Parkinson's patients," Caron said.
The effects of another stimulant, coffee, have been cited in the past as easing Parkinson's symptoms by keeping dopamine levels high.
But Caron said coffee is only effective in early stages of the disease, when some dopamine is still present. His new study reflects treatment during advanced stages, when there is no longer any dopamine present.
MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, proved the most effective of the amphetamines used at counteracting Parkinson's symptoms in the mice, said Raul Gainetdinov, who also worked on the study. He said he is not sure exactly why.
"We do not advocate self-medication with Ecstasy," Gainetdinov added in a telephone interview. He said that apart from being illegal and controversial, the drug can be more damaging to human nerve tissue than it is to mice.
Caron and Gainetdinov's findings were published in the August edition of Public Library of Science Biology. |
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| VERTiG0 |
| GREAT! Now Michael J. Fox and I can finally finish that game of Jenga we have had on hold for the past few years! |
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| cap |
| quote: | Originally posted by VERTiG0
GREAT! Now me and Michael J. Fox can finally finish that game of Jenga we have had on hold for the past few years! |
lol.
harsh. |
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| Moral Hazard |
| quote: | Originally posted by VERTiG0
GREAT! Now Michael J. Fox and I can finally finish that game of Jenga we have had on hold for the past few years! |
:stongue:
Best response possible! |
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| SurrJRS |
I was reading a while back that many dopaminergic substances in varying degrees can help protect against Parkinson's and Alzheimer's... ie cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, alcohol, Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), Ritalin, caffeine, etc...
I guess the theory is if you keep the specific dopamine neurons stimulated, they won't shrivel away and die. Kind of a use it or lose it type of deal I guess? 
Then again, the longterm abuse of said substances can also cause types of neuronal death too... |
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| Moral Hazard |
| quote: | Originally posted by SurrJRS
I was reading a while back that many dopaminergic substances in varying degrees can help protect against Parkinson's and Alzheimer's... ie cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, alcohol, Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), Ritalin, etc...
I guess the theory is if you keep the specific dopamine neurons stimulated, they won't shrivel away and die. Kind of a use it or lose it type of deal I guess?
Then again, the longterm abuse of said substances can also cause types of neuronal death too... |
let's see.... substances I use(ed)...
cocaine, check
methanphetamine, check
nicotine, check
alcohol, check
Bupropion (Zyban), check
Ritalin, no
5/6.... I should live forever! |
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| MarkT |
| I guess drug dealers can put "Healthcare Practitioner" on their business cards now :D |
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| Moral Hazard |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
I guess drug dealers can put "Healthcare Practitioner" on their business cards now :D |
only if they have a self-regulating college! |
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| SurrJRS |
| quote: | Originally posted by Moral Hazard
let's see.... substances I use(ed)...
cocaine, check
methanphetamine, check
nicotine, check
alcohol, check
Bupropion (Zyban), check
Ritalin, no
5/6.... I should live forever! |
Hah not quite. The key is to come up with highly targeted pharmaceuticals, because most of what we have today also greatly affects other areas of the body as well (hence a lot of nasty side effects). I'm thinking for Parkinson's, a combination of nanotechnology and stem cells would be a good. |
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| Moral Hazard |
| quote: | Originally posted by SurrJRS
Hah not quite. The key is to come up with highly targeted pharmaceuticals, because most of what we have today also greatly affects other areas of the body as well (hence a lot of nasty side effects). I'm thinking for Parkinson's, a combination of nanotechnology and stem cells would be a good. |
well, until then I'll stick to good old fashioned drugs.... BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY!!!! |
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| MarkT |
| quote: | Originally posted by Moral Hazard
only if they have a self-regulating college! |
how about a 'degree' from the University of ________ (insert name of small Mexican town here)? |
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| SurrJRS |
| quote: | Originally posted by Moral Hazard
BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY!!!! |
I agree, but today's drugs are way to crude to do anything other than attempt at curing the already sick.
In the future, I think we will strive to better ourselves by creating mental and physical super-health through chemistry and genetic engineering.
You might enjoy reading Paradise-engineering: The Hedonistic Imperative.
http://www.hedweb.com/ (check the HI Abstract link) |
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