The Parkinsonian Syndrome and its Dopamine Correlates

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Abstract
The urinary excretion of free dopamine in 37 untreated parkinsonian patients correlated negatively with the severity of rigidity and akinesia (ppppp<0.01) when they were subsequently treated for two weeks with trifluoperazine. In neither study was there a significant correlation between free urinary dopamine and tremor. These studies directly associate the level of free dopamine in the urine with the severity of the parkinsonian syndrome. Therefore, although many peripheral sources contribute to urinary free dopamine, a small decrease in the level may actually reflect the severity of the disturbance of central dopamine metabolism and the known deficiency of dopamine in the neurons of the parkinsonian brain.