Subject(s)
Calcium Channel Blockers/therapeutic use , Nicotinic Acids/therapeutic use , Nifedipine/therapeutic use , Vascular Headaches/drug therapy , Verapamil/therapeutic use , Cerebrovascular Circulation/drug effects , Clinical Trials as Topic , Female , Hemodynamics/drug effects , Humans , Male , Nimodipine , Vascular Headaches/physiopathologyABSTRACT
To examine a possible relationship of essential tremor to Parkinson's disease (PD), 130 patients with essential tremor were studied. Twenty-five patients had both essential tremor and PD. These 25 patients were matched for age and duration of PD symptoms with 25 patients who had idiopathic PD. Bradykinesia, postural instability, and gait difficulty were more severe in the patients with idiopathic PD. Degree of tremor, rigidity, and functional disability did not differ in the two groups. The prevalence of PD in the population with essential tremor was 24 times greater than expected. This study suggests that some patients with essential tremor have a genetically increased risk for PD.
Subject(s)
Parkinson Disease/complications , Tremor/complications , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Electromyography , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Parkinson Disease/genetics , Parkinson Disease/physiopathology , Risk , Tremor/genetics , Tremor/physiopathologyABSTRACT
In 334 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, deterioration in mental status paralleled severity of bradykinesia, postural instability, and gait difficulty. Tremor was relatively independent of the other cardinal signs and was associated with relative preservation of mental status, earlier age at onset, family history of parkinsonism, and more favorable prognosis. There seem to be at least two Parkinson's subgroups: one with postural instability and gait difficulty and another with tremor as the dominant feature.
Subject(s)
Parkinson Disease/diagnosis , Adult , Aged , Brain/metabolism , Dopamine/metabolism , Female , Gait , Heart Rate , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Muscle Rigidity/diagnosis , Parkinson Disease/metabolism , Parkinson Disease/physiopathology , Posture , Prognosis , Receptors, Dopamine/metabolism , Tremor/diagnosisABSTRACT
The effect of polyamines on the ability of calcium-dependent soluble rat brain phosphatidylinositol-phosphodiesterase to hydrolyze dispersed phosphatidylinositol was examined. Putrescine and cadaverine stimulated activity at all concentrations tested. In contrast, spermine and spermidine stimulated the reaction slightly at low concentrations but caused progressively greater inhibition as their levels were further increased. Phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis was inhibited by several multivalent cations, especially lanthanum and manganese. Spermidine partially replaced the calcium requirement of the enzyme. The possibility that polyamines may play a role in the regulation in vivo of phosphatidylinositol-phosphodiesterase is discussed.
Subject(s)
Brain/enzymology , Calcium/pharmacology , Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases/metabolism , Polyamines/pharmacology , Animals , Cadaverine/pharmacology , Enzyme Activation/drug effects , Phosphatidylinositol Diacylglycerol-Lyase , Phosphatidylinositols/metabolism , Putrescine/pharmacology , Rats , Spermidine/pharmacology , Spermine/pharmacologyABSTRACT
The lipid composition was determined for axolemma-enriched fractions and myelin which were isolated via a preparation of purified myelinated axons. The myelin had a lipid composition which was compatible with that previously reported for myelin isolated by alternative procedures. The most dense axolemma-enriched fraction contained 25.3% cholesterol, 25.8% galactolipid (21.3% cerebrosides and 4.8% sulfatides), and 48.9% phospholipid. The major phospholipids were the ethanolamine phospholipid (19.8% of total lipid weight; 49.0% in the plasmalogen form) and choline phospholipids (18.7% of total lipid weight; 16.0% in the plasmalogen form) with lesser amounts of sphingomyelin, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol also present; the ganglioside content was 13.9 micrograms of acetylneuraminic acid per mg protein. The less dense axolemma-enriched fraction had a lipid composition which was intermediate between that of myelin and the more dense axolemma-enriched fraction. On the average, less than 2.3% of the total protein in the axolemma-enriched fraction was myelin basic protein. Both axolemma-enriched fractions stained uniformly with Luxol fast blue and demonstrated specific saxitoxin-binding which was enriched 2- to 7-fold over that of the whole white matter homogenate from which the fractions were isolated. The choline and ethanolamine phospholipids in that most dense axolemma-enriched fractions contained a greater percentage of unsaturated fatty acids compared with the comparable phospholipids in myelin. The content of unsaturated fatty acids in these phospholipids of the axolemma-enriched fraction was not as great as that of human CNS synaptic plasma membranes. However, the chain length distribution of these phospholipid fatty acids was similar in myelin, synaptic plasma membrane, and the axolemma-enriched fraction. The distribution of aldehydes derived from the ethanolamine phospholipids of the more dense axolemma-enriched fraction closely resemble the distribution of the comparable aldehydes in the myelin fraction. The possible origin and function of the lipids in the axolemma-enriched fractions are discussed.
