A Clinical and Metabolic Study of Dopa (3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) and Methyldopa in Huntington's Chorea

Excretion of Homovanillic and Vanilmandelic Acid in Patients with Extrapyramidal Disorders

“…As HVA is a major terminal metabolite of dopamine ), this finding suggests a defect in the dopamine metabolism of these patients. This concurs with the nu merous observations of patients with Parkinson's disease (Barbeau [1961], , , Ehringer and Hornykiewicz [1960], Barbeau et al [1962], Gerstenbrand et al [1963], Sourkes et al [1965], etc.). In contrast, Greer and Williams [1963] were unable in their material to establish a difference in the excretion of HVA between patients with Parkinson's disease and a control group.…”

“…In contrast, Greer and Williams [1963] were unable in their material to establish a difference in the excretion of HVA between patients with Parkinson's disease and a control group. Nor was a distinct consistent change established in the excretion of catecholamines or their metabolites in such extrapyramidal disorders as hepatolenticular degeneration and Hunting ton's chorea , Sourkes [1964], Sourkes et al [1965]). …”

The metabolism of orally administered l‐DOPA in Parkinsonism

“…Whether certain unidentified chromatogralphic peaks noted in " pre-treatment" and " follow-up " urine samples but not in normal urine are in any way connected with the pathogenesis of the disease is still under investigation. Sourkes, Pivnicki, Brown, Wiseman-Distler, Murphy, Sankoff & Saint Cyr (1965) gave L-DOPA to one postencephalitic Parkinsonian subject and noted some delay in the rise in urinary HVA excretion compared with controls ; but, in general, our own findings in patients with this disease during treatment are not too dissimilar from those following L-DOPA administration to normal subjects (Shaw, McMillan & Armstrong, 1957;Sourkes et al, 1965). There was a very large increase in urinary excretion of HVA which was equalled (Takble 1), and at high dosage even exceeded (Table 3), by 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) output.…”

“…There was a very large increase in urinary excretion of HVA which was equalled (Takble 1), and at high dosage even exceeded (Table 3), by 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) output. This increase in relative concentration of DOPAC appears to depend to some extent on route of administration (Sourkes et al, 1965).…”

“…Although the clinical effect of the drug has now been studied in a number of trials (Calne et al, D. B. Calne, F. Karoum, C. R. J. Ruthven and M. Sandier 1969) the opportunity thus provided to obtain information on its further metalbolism has been largely neglected, apart from some limited studies (McGeer, Boulding, Gibson & Foulkes, 1961;Sourkes, Pivnicki, Brown, Wiseman-Distler, Murphy, Sankoff & Saint Cyr, 1965;Cotzias, Papavasiliou & Gellene, 1969). Rather more is known aibout the metabolism of L-DOPA in the normal human subject (Guggenheim, 1913;Shaw, McMillan & Armstrong, 1957;Sourkes et al, 1965;Pletscher, Bartholini & Tissot, 1967;Smith, 1967).…”