Insight Into Dopamine Role Suggests New Treatment Pathway For Parkinson'sDopamine (DA) not only functions as a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger between neurons by which one neuron triggers another, researchers have found. It also appears to coordinate the activity of a particular neural circuitry. In studies with mice, they found evidence that the dopamine deficiency in Parkinson's and other related movement disorders may cause loss of muscle control and paralysis due to disruption of coordinated activity in this circuit.

The finding is in contrast with the widely held belief that such pathology is caused by an overall inhibition of brain activity due to lack of dopamine in such disorders as Parkinson's.

The researchers said their findings suggest new treatments for Parkinson's and other such disorders aimed at restoring this dopamine-regulated circuitry coordination.

Rui Costa and colleagues published their findings in the October 19, 2006, issue of the journal Neuron, published by Cell Press.