title: In memoriam Richard Heikkila. The MPTP story: irony creeps back in.
abstract: Progress in Parkinson's disease research has been rapid in recent years from both a scientific and clinical point of view. The MPTP discovery represented a milestone in the knowledge of the biochemical mechanism underlying degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway. Recent life and scientific events have initiated, even ironically, new trends in the mechanism of MPTP toxicity. The role of excitatory amino acids, particularly of NMDA receptors, in this toxicant-induced degenerative process, seems to be crucial. If this new finding is further confirmed by studies on primates, the animal species most sensitive to the neurotoxin, research into Parkinson's disease might move in other directions, useful in both treatment and prevention.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, University of Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: G U
authors.initials: GU
authors.lastname: Corsini
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine / Q000266:history*; D000818:Animals; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D020267:MPTP Poisoning; D009462:Neurology / Q000266:history
chemical_list: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine