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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Laser Microdissection-Based Protocol for the LC-MS/MS Analysis of the Proteomic Profile of Neuromelanin Granules
Published on: December 16, 2021
Parkinson's disease-associated melanin steal
Marty Hinz1, Alvin Stein2, Ted Cole3
1Clinical Research, NeuroResearch Clinics, Inc., Cape Coral, FL, USA.
Abstract:
Urinary dopamine fluctuations in the competitive inhibition state were first documented in 2009. At that time, it was noted that progressively higher daily dosing values of L-tyrosine decreased the magnitude of these fluctuations. While extensive statistical analysis has been performed by the authors since 2004, it was not until 2012 that a plausible explanation was formulated. In the process, correlations with L-tyrosine administration and the on/off effect of Parkinson's disease were defined. This paper documents the current knowledge with regard to the management of retrograde phase 1 dopamine fluctuations and investigates the hypothesis that they are caused by a melanin steal phenomenon.
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