Adrenal medullary transplantation into the brain for treatment of Parkinson's disease: clinical outcome and neurochemical studies.

Transplantation of adrenal medulla into the caudate nucleus as treatment for Parkinson's disease was performed in eight patients. Although our previous 6-month follow-up revealed early modest improvement, an extension of that follow-up to 1 year disclosed no additional gains in any patient. At the end of 1 year, only one patient could be categorized as moderately improved; three patients were mildly improved, and four patients were unimproved. The rationale for transplanting adrenal medulla was to reestablish a physiologic source of dopamine to the striatum. We measured cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma catecholamines and metabolites before and after transplantation. Conjugated dopamine (the predominant form of dopamine found in the CSF) and homovanillic acid (the major dopamine metabolite) were modestly and inconsistently increased in the CSF. Conjugated and free epinephrine and norepinephrine, as well as 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol concentrations were not increased in CSF after graft placement, an indication that the adrenal chromaffin cells were no longer producing high levels of these nondopamine catecholamines and metabolites. CSF cortisol concentrations were not increased after transplantation, compared with values from controls, consistent with low numbers of functioning adrenal cortical cells contaminating the graft (or poor survival). Posttransplantation CSF did not induce a neurotrophic effect in cell cultures of 15-day embryonic rat dorsal root ganglion or PC12 (rat pheochromocytoma) cell lines. Survival of samples of patients' adrenal medullary tissue for 2 weeks in tissue culture attested to the viability of the graft at the time of transplantation. The relative concentrations of dopamine to epinephrine or norepinephrine increased in these cultured adrenal medullary cells, presumably because of loss of the glucocorticoid influence on catecholamine synthesis. A wide variety of factors could have contributed to our failure to replicate the earlier impressive results of adrenal-to-brain transplantation reported by others. Continued transplantation studies in animal models of parkinsonism are necessary for better elucidation of these factors.

Adrenal medullary autograft transplantation into the striatum of patients with Parkinson's disease.

In eight patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, we performed autograft transplantation of adrenal medulla to the head of the caudate nucleus. Our technique was similar to that developed by Madrazo and co-workers in Mexico City. No major perioperative complications occurred except for somnolence in one patient for 8 days postoperatively. The follow-up period has been at least 6 months in seven of the patients, and only limited benefit has been apparent. The early morning Parkinson examination score in the "off" (unmedicated) state was significantly improved in one patient and slightly better in the other six. Diary card entries suggested a mild trend toward improvement (not statistically significant). Four of the seven patients were taking less levodopa 6 months after the operation than they had been preoperatively; three of five patients were no longer taking dopamine agonists postoperatively. We cannot exclude a placebo effect contributing to any of this improvement. A reduction in medication-induced dyskinesia was also noted, but this result may have been due to adjustments in doses or a slightly less potent effect of medication (or both factors). In summary, we have not yet been able to replicate the dramatic success reported for adrenal medullary transplantation by Madrazo's group, although our patients may have experienced mild to moderate improvement. We continue to maintain follow-up surveillance of these patients.

Controlled-release Sinemet (CR-4): a double-blind crossover study in patients with fluctuating Parkinson's disease.

Patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson's disease may have prominent levodopa-related motor fluctuations. In a double-blind crossover study, we compared the anti-Parkinson effects of standard Sinemet with a controlled-release formulation (Sinemet CR-4) in 23 patients with short-duration responses to standard Sinemet. With Sinemet CR-4, approximately half the patients who completed the study displayed a prolongation of their "on" response (optimal response to treatment), as assessed by monitoring individual drug-response cycles. A few patients experienced prolonged delays before the peak anti-Parkinson response developed to Sinemet CR-4. End-of-dose "wearing off" was favorably affected by Sinemet CR-4, but patients still had unpredictable "off" (parkinsonian) periods. Subjective ratings of Sinemet CR-4 varied, and 39% of patients who completed the study actually preferred standard Sinemet to the new formulation. We conclude that Sinemet CR-4 may benefit some patients with Parkinson's disease with a short-duration response to standard Sinemet; however, not all patients found it preferable to the standard formulation.