title: Dopamine action and disorders of neurotransmitter balance.
abstract: Disorders of neurotransmitter balance are observed in Parkinson's disease, pharmacotoxic psychosis and depression. The dopamine-serotonin ratio is reduced to about 20% in Parkinson and pharmacotoxic patients in the caudate nucleus and in the substantia nigra. The serotonin content in these brain areas is lowered only to about 50% in comparison to that of the control, whereas the dopamine level is reduced to 85% in Parkinson patients. This dopamine deficiency has been substituted by exogenous supply of L-dopa in combination with decarboxylase and monoaminooxydase inhibitors. First evidence is presented that L-dopa can be replaced, at least partially, by iron in form of a ferriascorbate complex. This iron compound improves the symptoms of Parkinson's disease to almost the same extent as L-dopa.
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000378:metabolism*; D012012:Red Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine