CSF dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in Parkinson's disease

Although the most prominent neurochemical change in parkinsonism is nigrostriatal dopamine deficiency, norepinephrine content is also diminished in the CNS. In this study, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) activity, a marker of central noradrenergic activity, was measured in the CSF of previously unmedicated parkinsonian patients and normal controls. The parkinsonian patients showed a reduction in CSF DBH levels to 41% of control values (p less than 0.01). Possible explanations for the decrease included a decreased noradrenergic nerve pool or a diminished rate of synthesis of catecholamines.