BrainWaves #35 Levodopa: A history
MedLink Neurology Podcast is delighted to feature selected episodes from BrainWaves, courtesy of James E Siegler MD, its originator and host. BrainWaves is an academic audio podcast whose mission is to educate medical providers through clinical cases and topical reviews in neurology, medicine, and the humanities, and episodes originally aired from 2016 to 2021. Originally released: July 18, 2017 For those of you who've witnessed it, giving levodopa to a patient with idiopathic Parkinson disease is almost a miracle to watch. Unlike practically every other condition afflicting the nervous system, the unmistakable unrest of Parkinson disease essentially surrenders to this tiny tablet. But what did we use before levodopa? In this week's episode of BrainWaves, we recount the history (and serendipity) behind the development of this miracle drug. BrainWaves podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used to guide medical decision-making in routine clinical practice. REFERENCES Birkmayer W, Hornykiewicz O. [The L-3,4-dioxyphenylalanine (DOPA)-effect in Parkinson-akinesia]. German. Wien Klin Wochenschr 1961;73:787-8. PMID 13869404Bucy P and Case T. Tremor: Physiologic mechanism and abolition by surgical means. Arch Neurol Psych 1939;41:721-746.Cotzias GC, Van Woert MH, Schiffer LM. Aromatic amino acids and modification of parkinsonism. N Engl J Med 1967;276(7):374-9. PMID 5334614Glatstein M, Alabdulrazzaq F, Scolnik D. Belladonna alkaloid intoxication: the 10-year experience of a large tertiary care pediatric hospital. Am J Ther 2016;23(1):e74-7. PMID 24263161Hornykiewicz O. A brief history of levodopa. J Neurol 2010;257(Suppl 2):S249-52. PMID 21080185Koranyi EK. A preamble on parkinsonism. J Psychiatry Neurosci 1999;24(4):296-9. PMID 10516795Parkinson J. An essay on the shaking palsy. 1817. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 2002;14(2):223-36; discussion 222. PMID 11983801Tolosa E, Martí MJ, Valldeoriola F, Molinuevo JL. History of levodopa and dopamine agonists in Parkinson's disease treatment. Neurology 1998;50(6 Suppl 6):S2-10; discussion S44-8. PMID 9633679Walter BL, Abosch A and Vitek JL. From Neuroscience to Neurology: Molecular Medicine, and the Therapeutic Transformation of Neurology. 2004.Willis AW, Schootman M, Kung N, Wang XY, Perlmutter JS, Racette BA. Disparities in deep brain stimulation surgery among insured elders with Parkinson disease. Neurology 2014;82(2):163-71. PMID 24336138 We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.