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Article: Parkinson's: is this the cure? (adrenal gland cell transplants restore dopamine metabolism)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- April 13, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1987 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Parkinson's: Is this the cure?
The two patients entered the operatingroom with classic symptoms of Parkinson's disease--trembling so severe that they were barely able to speak, eat or walk. Months later, they were transformed: Speaking clearly, eating without help, even playing soccer. The apparent success of the experimental surgery performed on the patients, two men in their 30s, may spell new hope for 500,000 Americans, most of them elderly, who suffer from an irreversible brain disorder that gradually cripples the muscles.
Parkinson's is caused by the failure ofcells in a part of the bain that produces dopamine, a chemical needed for proper muscle ...