Significant differences in the content of iron (III) and total iron were found in post mortem substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease. There was an increase of 176% in the levels of total iron and 225% of iron (III) in the substantia nigra of the parkinsonian patients compared to age matched controls. In the cortex (Brodmann area 21), hippocampus, putamen, and globus pallidus there was no significant difference in the levels of iron (III) and total iron. Thus the changes in total iron, iron (III) and the iron (II)/iron (III) ratio in the parkinsonian substantia nigra are likely to be involved in the pathophysiology and treatment of this disorder.

[3H]MK-801 binding was used as a marker for the NMDA receptorion channel complex in postmortem brain samples from the frontal cortex, hippocampus, putamen, entorhinal region, and amygdala of schizophrenic patients and controls. In schizophrenia [3H]MK-801 binding levels were increased in all brain regions investigated reaching significance in the putamen.

No abstract

The antidepressant efficacy, tolerability, and safety of moclobemide, a reversible, monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor, were compared with those of imipramine in parallel groups of patients with a major depressive episode, in a 4-week, multicentre (17 centres), randomised study. A total of 381 patients were randomly allocated to either treatment; they were not required to avoid tyramine-rich foods. Drop-out rates were comparable in both groups at about 17%. Judged primarily on the HRSD, no significant differences in efficacy were observed between the groups, but the number of patients presenting with adverse events, as well as the total number of adverse events, was greater with imipramine. Cardiovascular tolerability was satisfactory and physical examination, body weight, and laboratory values were essentially unaffected in both groups.

Dopamine (DA) is degradated in part by MAO, an intraneuronal and glial enzyme localized at the outer mitochondria1 membrane. DA is a good substrate for MAO-B and selegiline enhances DA-transmission and improves akinesia of Parkinson's disease (PD) by selective MAO-B blockade. Immunocytochemistry (ICC) and histochemistry (HC) demonstrate that neurons of substantia nigra (SN) lack MA0 near totally (but see . Consequently, inhibition of MAO-B in this brain area occurs mainly in glial cells. Therefore an increase of DA in glia seems to be of long-lasting therapeutic benefit in PD. In addition, synthesis of hydrogen peroxide generated via MAO-B is blocked by selegiline. By this toxicity by endogenous free radicals is diminished. Furthermore, exogenous neurotoxicity by MAO-B substrates can be prevented by inhibition of MAO-B, while such MAO-A substrates are metabolized at the level of the MAO-A containing endothelium of capillaries. As conclusion, selegiline is a safe inhibitor of MAO-B that reduces neurotoxicity possibly triggering PD.