RESEARCH: Increased brain histamine levels in Parkinson's disease but not in multiple system atrophy

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J Neurochem 2002 Jun 1;81(5):954-960

Increased brain histamine levels in Parkinson's disease but not in multiple

system atrophy.

Rinne JO, Anichtchik OV, sson KS, Kaslin J, Tuomisto L, Kalimo H, Roytta

M,

Panula P.

Department of Neurology and Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku

University Hospital, Turku, Finland Department of Biology, Abo Akademi

University, Biocity, Turku, Finland Department of Pharmacology and

Toxicology,

University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland Department of Pathology, University of

Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland Institute

Biomedicine/Anatomy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

We investigated histamine concentration in post-mortem brain samples of

patients

with Parkinson's disease (PD, n = 24), multiple system atrophy (MSA, n = 8)

and

age-matched controls (n = 27). Histamine concentrations were significantly

increased in the putamen (to 159% of the control mean), substantia nigra

pars

compacta (to 201%), internal globus pallidus (to 234%) and external globus

pallidus (to 200%), i.e. in areas which play a crucial role in the motor

behaviour and which show typical functional alterations in PD. In MSA no

significant differences were seen. Tele-methylhistamine (histamine

metabolite)

concentrations were unchanged in PD. These results indicate that histamine

concentration, but not its metabolism is increased in PD, but not in MSA.

This

finding may have implications in developing new drug therapies for PD and in

differential diagnosis between PD and MSA.

PMID: 12065607 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]