title: Free amino acids in the brain of patients with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: To study free brain amino acids and their relation to dementia, the levels of glutamate, glutamate, asparagine, aspartate, glycine, taurine, homocarnosine and gamma-aminobutyric acid were determined in the temporal cortex and caudate nucleus in demented and non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease. In the temporal cortex, the levels of aspartate and asparagine were significantly increased in non-demented parkinsonian patients as compared both to demented patients and to controls. In the caudate nucleus no significant changes in amino acid levels were seen. Thus, the cortical and striatal glutamate/aspartate systems seem to be preserved in dementia in Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Rinne
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Halonen
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Riekkinen
authors.forename: U K
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Rinne
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000032:analysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids