Basic Electrophysiology and Possible New Therapeutic Approaches to Movement Disorders

Abstract

What the basal ganglia do, is it the on-going question? New models have reevaluated the input/output ratio of single structures as inserted in parallel, functional systems (Alexander and Crutcher, 1990). These models have reinforced the assumption that the basal ganglia are a key station for the execution of organized movements (DeLong, 1990; Goldman-Rakic and Selemon, 1990). At the molecular level, new families of receptors are explored. The cloning of glutamate metabotropic receptors is heading the surprising multiplicity of the neurobiology of excitatory transmission (Gasic, 1992). The definition of new subclasses of dopamine receptors is an invitation to reconsider the pharmacology of the amine (Surmeier et al., 1992). Radical changes, however, in the therapy of movement disorders have barely taken place, being the introduction of levo-dopa still a “cornerstone” of the therapy of the parkinsonian patient (Hornykiewicz, 1966). Whatever are the fundamental functions of the basal ganglia, a striking dichotomy risks to develop between basic research acquisition and the daily urgency of patient’s quality of life. In presenting our recent findings, we aim to highlight those aspects of mesencephalic, neostriatal and pallidal physiology whose clinical impact could be relevant.