Abstract
Few drugs make it to the movies. Although the wondrous effects of L-DOPA were made known to a wide audience by the movie “Awakenings”, the actual mechanism of action of this drug remains somewhat of an enigma. L-DOPA is thought to be converted by the enzyme aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) into the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) (Lloyd et al., 1975; Melamed et al, 1985), thus substituting for the loss of dopaminergic input to the striatum that is the underlying pathology of Parkinson’s disease. However, the effects of the DA formed from L-DOPA on target areas of the dopaminergic system are not well described. As an example of the action of L-DOPA on postsynaptic targets, we will discuss the impact of L-DOPA on striatal cholinergic function. Another important aspect to consider in understanding the actions of L-DOPA involves the assumption that the main site of action of the DA formed from this compound is in the striatum. In this paper we also will discuss evidence that L-DOPA is converted into DA not only at the level of the striatum, but also at the level of the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) and may thus have effects on basal ganglia functioning beyond restoration of dopaminergic tone in striatum.
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© 1994 Plenum Press, New York
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DeBoer, P., Wachtel, S.R., Abercrombie, E.D. (1994). Biochemistry and Pharmacology of L-Dopa in Relation to Basal Ganglia Circuitry. In: Percheron, G., McKenzie, J.S., Féger, J. (eds) The Basal Ganglia IV. Advances in Behavioral Biology, vol 41. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0485-2_41
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0485-2_41
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