if 20/25% has to be lost then a normal level MUST BE KNOWN .this significant loss GOES UNDETECTED until nearly a quarter is gone .loss , without a flag being raised NO INDICATOR ,.natural recovery of dopamine AINT HAPPENING
if the body cannot identify it, it cant action it. A TEST FOR DOPAMINE. isneeded, bear with me here
LIKE a barrel of apples.APPLES may LOOK OK but unless YOU EMPTYOUT check for rotten ones.20% of the apples may be rotten and you would be unable to tell.like parky dopamine loss. A TEST IS NEEDED
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Yes we do need markers for diagnosing and treating PD.
I'm not sure what the 20% refers to Prof. Is it the amount of loss of dopamine producing neurons at time of diagnosis (I thought that was closer to 80%) or something different?
What about the DaTscan? Can it measure dopamine levels in the brain?
I seem to remember 90% or more before symptoms show. I had a DAT Scan. The results from a DAT Scan seem to be trusted very well but it only gives one of 2 possible results, PD or not PD. If the result shows not PD then no further diagnosis is available via the DAT San, i.e. it doesn't tell you that you have MSA or PSP or CBD etc. rather than PD.
The Tracking Parkinson's study amongst others is looking for simply accessed bio markers for Parkinson's. The dopamine levels in the brain are what counts and this is not reflected by dopamine levels anywhere else, eg the blood, so it's hard to use that as a definitive test for PD.
The DaT scan can show dopamine receptor activity in the brain but it only indicative for Parkinson's because other conditions can mimic the results.
An early biomarker for Parkinson's is the Holy Grail' as early diagnosis can lead to early drug intervention and thereby neuroprotection and recovery. They are looking but it might be that gait analysis, speech analysis of even measures of loss of smell might be the answer.
The patient becomes aware of Parkinson's symptoms when 80% of dopamine producing cells are not functioning. There are eight areas in the brain which use dopamine but only one is affected, the substantia nigra, which is responsible for starting movement and dealing with unplanned changes.
The apples in the barrel analogy is a little misleading as I understand it. There is no barrel or tank, dopamine is produced by individual cells (neurons) for its own use and any stored dopamine is stored in the neuron.
Also, the dopamine is not rotten, it is simply not produced due to faulty or dead neurons.
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