title: Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity is increased in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: We measured alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid of 12 healthy control subjects and nine patients with Parkinson's disease, four of whom had never been treated. Mean cerebrospinal fluid alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity concentration was two-fold greater in parkinsonian patients (44.1 +/- 9.3 [SD] pg/mL) as compared with control subjects (21.8 +/- 10.0 pg/mL). No significant correlation was found between cerebrospinal fluid alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity concentrations and patient age, disease severity, or duration of disease. These results suggest a functional relation between dopaminergic and melanotropinergic systems in the human brain.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Md 20892.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rainero
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kaye
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Durso
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pinessi
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Friedland
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Rapoport
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D000521:alpha-MSH