title: Relatively high levels of dopamine in nucleus accumbens of levodopa treated patients with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: The dopamine levels were found to be low in the putamen and relatively high in the nucleus accumbens in two Parkinson disease patients treated with levodopa up to the time of their deaths. Tyrosine hydroxylase immunocytochemistry revealed a severe degeneration of the nigro-striatal dopamine neuronal system in both postmortem brains. The relatively high dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens may be responsible for the occurrence of dyskinesias.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005917:Globus Pallidus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D011699:Putamen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007980:Levodopa; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine