There was a documentary on british TV last eve. about a guy affected with Parkinsons. There appeared to be some link between levels of seratonin and dopamine in the brain, deduced by the fact that the guy in question had discovered that by using mood enhancing drugs, (unfortunately illegal,) his co-ordination and fluency were significantly improved. This was tried and tested by scientists at Manchester University, England. The clinical trials undertaken proved promising. The scientists are currently working on establishing the link between the levels of each chemical in the brain, or more hopefully of isolating the components of the 'mood-enhancer' that appear to be successful in promoting movement, without the side effects that are predicted with this drug.

This may seem a little haphazard or fantastical, but it may provide a clue, and maybe if you logon to the University website, you could get in contact with the two scientists who have dedicated the last 20 yrs to finding the cure of Parkinsons. Sorry, I can't remeber their names, but Im sure they're linked to the Pharmacolgy department.

I hope you don't find this derogatory, I am in no way a proponent of harmful drugs. Rather the newly discovered link between dopamine and seratonin is more interesting the the administration of an illegal substance, and this seems to have opened up new avenues of research for control and cure.

Good luck

Nic

[This message has been edited by nicolaw (edited 16 February 2001).]