Two patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (Patients 3 and 4 in our series) were followed up to 3 years after grafting of human embryonic dopamine-rich mesencephalic tissue unilaterally into the putamen. During the first postoperative year both patients showed significant amelioration of parkinsonian symptoms and increased 6-L-[18F]-fluorodopa uptake in the grafted putamen, as assessed with

Tirilazad (3 mg/kg i.v.) or vehicle was given 10 min, 3 and 12 hours after ligation of the right middle cerebral artery in male spontaneously hypertensive rats (n = 12 in each group). Brain specific gravity was determined in 23 predetermined cortical regions covering the core and penumbra areas 24 hours after the occlusion. The specific gravity was significantly higher in tirilazad-treated rats th

An important issue in clinical neural grafting is whether a second instriatial allograft can survive well in a patient who has received an allograft before. In this study, the survival, immunogenicity and function of intrastriatal grafts of allogeneic or syngeneic embryonic dopamine-rich tissue in rats which had previously received either an intrastriatal allo- or syn-graft or sham injections were

The immune response against intracerebral grafts of allogeneic fetal dopamine-rich tissue was assessed in adult rats. Sprague-Dawley rats, now outbred, but originating from an inbred stock, were given unilateral 6-hydroxy-dopamine lesions of the mesostriatal pathway, and grafted intrastriatally with mechanically dissociated ventral mesencephalic tissue (embryonic day 13-15) obtained from an inbred

Neurosurgical attempts to correct parkinsonism use strategies aimed either at alleviating the underlying dopamine deficiency or at correcting abnormal compensatory effects in neural circuits within the basal ganglia. During the review period, clinical trials of four different neurosurgical approaches were reported. These approaches are intracerebral transplantation of fetal dopamine neurons, intra

The expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) was investigated in the embryonic donor tissue and surrounding host brain before and after intracerebral transplantation in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Ventral mesencephalic tissue from E13-E15 rat embryos was dissociated and implanted into adult rats with unilateral lesions of the mesostriatal dopamine system. Immunohistochemica

Intracerebral transplantation of immature neural tissue is a promising therapeutical approach that has the potential of restoring damaged neuronal circuitries and reversing functional deficits. The development of the technique as a human application has progressed the furthest in Parkinson's disease (PD), with the demonstration of significant longlasting functional improvements, in combination wit

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral transplantation of fetal dopaminergic neurons is a promising new approach for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Patients with parkinsonism induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) have a relatively stable lesion limited to the nigrostriatal system, rendering them ideal candidates for transplantation. Improvement of motor function after neural gra

Two patients with Parkinson's disease who underwent implantation of fetal mesencephalic tissue into the putamen were serially studied using positron emission tomography and [18F]6-L-fluorodopa ([18F]dopa). The uptake of [18F]dopa is related to the functional integrity of the presynaptic dopaminergic system. Preoperative studies revealed a marked decrease in putamen [18F]dopa uptake, with lesser in

Ventral mesencephalic tissue from aborted human fetuses (age, 6-7 weeks' postconception) was implanted unilaterally into the putamen using stereotaxic surgery in 2 immunosuppressed patients (Patients 3 and 4 in our series) with advanced idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Tissue from 4 fetuses was grafted to each patient. Compared with our previous 2 patients, the following changes in the grafting pro

BACKGROUND: Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a rare neurovisceral disease characterised by progressive neurological degeneration, where the rate of neurological disease progression varies depending on age at neurological onset. We report longitudinal data on functional disease progression and safety observations in patients in the international NPC Registry who received continuous treatment w

BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicate increased prevalences of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicide in Huntington's disease (HD) compared with the general population. This study investigates correlates and predictors of suicidal ideation in HD.METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 2106 HD mutation carriers, all participating in the REGISTRY study of the European Huntington's

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Although Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has been proven to be an effective treatment for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), it may be difficult for general neurologists to identify appropriate candidates for this procedure. We developed an electronic decision tool that can assist neurologists in deciding which PD patients should be referred for DBS considerati

The core feature of vascular ageing is the age-associated stiffening of the large, elastic arteries, or arteriosclerosis. This results in a diminished volume-buffering function and is therefore central for the increase in systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure seen with advancing age. Since there are considerable individual differences regarding the rate of vascular ageing, the aim was to desc