Neurotransmitters and neurodegenerative disorders

Abstract

It is 25 years since biochemical analysis of neurotransmitters in autopsied human brains was first applied to elucidation of the underlying mechanisms in functional neuronal disorders. In this time this line of research has revealed a selective decrease in catecholamines and of their synthesizing enzyme activities which occur in Parkinson's disease, and has led to the development of L-DOPA replacement therapy. Much attention is now being given to the other neurodegenerative disorders. This paper summarizes recent advances in research on neurotransmitter abnormalities in Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and the spinocerebellar degeneration.