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Research Paper Rough Draft
Research Paper Rough Draft
Miss Thomson
AP English Language & Composition
31 January 2018
Levodopa: Parkinson’s Miracle Drug
200,000 cases per year in the United States alone (“Parkinson's Disease”). Although it has a late-
onset, it can affect anyone at any age. The disorder is so powerful that it has the ability to flip
someone’s life upside down without proper treatment. In the early 1900’s a drug by the name of
levodopa (L-Dopa) was discovered to be promising in treating Parkinson’s. L-dopa is the miracle
drug that has been sought after for parkinsonian patients that has changed the medical world
forever.
instability, although tremor is the most widely known (Pereira, Erlick A C, and Tipu Z Aziz).
These symptoms can often be overlooked as they can be a result of normal aging. In 1817, James
Parkinson, whom the disease was named after, documents that he was suffering from “the shaky
palsy” and later began his own research in regards to his condition (Parkinson's Disease:
Unraveling the Mystery). To diagnose a patient with Parkinson’s, a doctor may rely on the
“Parkin” gene which is responsible for destroying proteins that no longer function properly and
codes for a “Parkin” protein which aids in the destruction by tagging cells that need to be
destroyed. When these malfunctioning cells are not broken down, they may oxidize into toxic
free radicals (Parkinson's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery). These free radicals would cause
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damage to the metabolites of dopamine, commonly known as the “feel good” neurotransmitter
(Foster, H D, and A Hoffer), which has proved to be necessary in explaining why patients with
Parkinson’s have been found to have unnaturally low levels of dopamine in the brain (“L-
Dopa”). This error caused by the malfunctioning “Parkin” gene is problematic, but it is not
entirely irreversible.
To combat the error caused by the “Parkin” gene, scientists researched and discovered L-
Dopa’s potential to revolutionize treatment. Before such information was discovered, a doctor by
the name of Arvid Carlsson developed a sensitive fluorescent technique to measure low
dopamine levels through lack of pigmentation in the brain and later discovered dopamine’s role
in motor function. Utilizing this information, George C. Cotzias used the technique in order to
restore the pigmentation in patients using three different drugs, one being L-dopa, which was
Cotzias’s patients, Melvin D. Yahr performed a double-blind controlled clinical trial using the
drug – meaning that neither the patient nor the administrator were aware of which patients
received the real drug or the placebo, thus eliminating biased results (Lees, A J). It was later
discovered that
the central nervous system, making it necessary to be administered with an inhibitor. The
inhibitor, typically Carbidopa, preserves L-dopa from converting into dopamine before it gets to
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the brain (Lifeextension.com). Alongside an inhibitor, L-Dopa is able to effectively get past the
blood-brain barrier to convert into dopamine and aid in treating Parkinson’s disease.
L-Dopa calms the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, however it is not a cure. Varying
from patient to patient, the dosage varies in order to provide the same relief of symptoms as it
did before. Adverse side effects are present, stemming from the use of the drug, but some will
only become apparent years after treatment has begun. Some effects include: arrhythmia
variability (mood swings) with anxiety, vivid dreams, hallucinations, impaired social behavior,
sleepiness, excessive libido, and compulsive behavior. A very common effect is dyskinesia, or a
movement disorder in which the individual has involuntary movements and discoordination. This
discoordination may also affect the autonomic nervous system, comprised of the Sympathetic
Nervous System and Parasympathetic Nervous System, which may result in respiratory
irregularities (Lifeextension.com). Scientists are aware that the adverse effects are a consequence
of neurons becoming more sensitive to the drug by changing a patient’s gene activity, but a
precise explanation for this is missing (Kegel, Magdalena). However, the provided relief of even
the most pronounced rigidity, tremor, and bradykinesia led to its regulatory approval by the FDA
(Lees, A J, et al). Using L-Dopa to treat Parkinson’s disease has opened the doors to further
research.
Since the research performed in regards to L-Dopa has led to advances in knowledge of
neurotransmitters, modern-day scientists have acquired a better understanding of them which has
opened the door to various medical research. Dr. Oscar Kofman, who studied treatments of
Our experience in the use of L-dopa in 83 patients who have been treated during the past
22 months is presented to provide a practical approach to the administration of L-dopa.
Many parkinsonian patients can be treated advantageously on an outpatient basis without
the need for initial hospitalization. (Kofman, Oscar)
As the research of Parkinson’s extended past just the basic treatment, treatment has been
improved and the cost of the medication has decreased to a fraction of its original cost. In 1997
and with further research, The Food and Drug Administration approved of other drugs such as
Mirapex, Requip, and Tasmar to be used with L-dopa to help to improve symptoms while
lessening the required dosage of L-dopa (“L-Dopa”). These advancements have aided in
The discovery of L-dopa’s ability to treat Parkinson’s disease was a pivotal moment in
medicine, as the research regarding it was a gateway into research on neurotransmitters. Through
the clinical trials and research of Arvid Carlsson, George C. Cotzias, and Melvin D. Yahr, and,
despite some adverse side effects, L-dopa was the first drug discovered to treat parkinsonian
patients. Modern medicine has taken this information further and made treatments more effective
and able to conform to a patient’s needs and provide a somewhat lasting relief to the various
symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This sought after solution to a rather complex disorder has
changed the medical world forever as it demonstrates that researchers are able to break through
Works Cited
Lees, A J, et al. “Four Pioneers of L-Dopa Treatment: Arvid Carlsson, Oleh Hornykiewicz,
George Cotzias, and Melvin Yahr.” Movement Disorders: Official Journal of the
Movement Disorder Society., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2015,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25488030. Accessed 6 Jan. 2018. Web.
Pereira, Erlick A C, and Tipu Z Aziz. “Surgical Insights into Parkinson's Disease.” Journal of the
Royal Society of Medicine, The Royal Society of Medicine, May 2006,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1457758/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2018. Web.