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Levodopa Therapy for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

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NeuroPsychopharmacotherapy

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Abstract

Since 1961 as the first trial for intravenous levodopa, it remains the gold standard therapy; however, chronic treatment is associated with the development of motor complications such as wearing off and dyskinesias. Substantial evidence suggests that motor complications are related to the nonphysiological restoration of brain dopamine with intermittent oral doses of standard levodopa. Thus, pulsatile stimulation using short acting levodopa could induce motor complications. Therefore, new approaches that provide continuous plasmalevodopa levels are currently being investigated. Theoretically, the development of an oral long-acting form of levodopa is actively being pursued. These approaches offer the potential to considerably reduce and even prevent the disability associated with L-dopa-induced motor complications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Nobutaka Hattori

Authors
  1. Nobutaka Hattori
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Correspondence to Nobutaka Hattori .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept Psychiatry , Psychosomatics & Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Medical School Clinical Neurochemistry, Würzburg, Germany

    Peter Riederer

  2. Inst für Psychologische Medizin, Haag, Bayern, Germany

    Gerd Laux

  3. Fujita Health University School Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan

    Toshiharu Nagatsu

  4. Center Translational Res Neurol Diseases, Dalian Med Uni Shanghai Inst Health Sc Center Translational Res Neurol Diseases, Dalian, China

    Weidong Le

  5. Würzburg, Bayern, Germany

    Christian Riederer

Section Editor information

  1. Center for Research Promotion and Support, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan

    Toshiharu Nagatsu

  2. Department of Physiological Chemistry, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan

    Akira Nakashima

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Hattori, N. (2020). Levodopa Therapy for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. In: Riederer, P., Laux, G., Nagatsu, T., Le, W., Riederer, C. (eds) NeuroPsychopharmacotherapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56015-1_225-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56015-1_225-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56015-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56015-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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