Abstract
In recent clinical trials, chronic treatment of patients with PD with pramipexole or ropinirole was associated with a slower decline of imaged striatal dopaminergic signal, compared to levodopa monotherapy. Although this could reflect slowed progression of PD, equally plausible is a pharmacologic effect on proteins that interact with the imaging radioligands. To date, there is no compelling evidence favoring dopamine agonists over levodopa; either is an appropriate choice for initial treatment of PD.
MeSH terms
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Antiparkinson Agents / therapeutic use*
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Clinical Trials as Topic / statistics & numerical data
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Corpus Striatum / drug effects
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Corpus Striatum / metabolism
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Disease Progression
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Dopamine Agonists / therapeutic use*
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Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
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Humans
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Ligands
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Membrane Glycoproteins*
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Membrane Transport Proteins / analysis
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Membrane Transport Proteins / metabolism
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Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
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Multicenter Studies as Topic / statistics & numerical data
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Nerve Tissue Proteins*
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Neuroprotective Agents / therapeutic use
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Parkinson Disease / diagnosis
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Parkinson Disease / diagnostic imaging
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Parkinson Disease / drug therapy*
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Radionuclide Imaging
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Treatment Outcome
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Up-Regulation / drug effects
Substances
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Antiparkinson Agents
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Dopamine Agonists
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Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
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Ligands
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Membrane Glycoproteins
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Membrane Transport Proteins
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Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors
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Nerve Tissue Proteins
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Neuroprotective Agents