Parkinson's Treatments for ADHD/ OR for desired increases in Dopamine Levels

[Bltucka]

Hi I am interested to read personal experiences (first) with any Parkinson's Disease medications with a history (or without) of being prescribed for off label use to treat ADHD (or ADD I'd assume) ...




"ADHD was the first disorder found to be the result of a deficiency of a specific neurotransmitter — in this case, norepinephrine — and the first disorder found to respond to medications to correct this underlying deficiency. Like all neurotransmitters, norepinephrine is synthesized within the brain. The basic building block of each norepinephrine molecule is dopa; this tiny molecule is converted into dopamine, which, in turn, is converted into norepinephrine." --The ADHD Brain , By Larry Silver, M.D.


"ADHD seems to involve impaired neurotransmitter activity in four functional regions of the brain:

• Frontal cortex. This region orchestrates high-level functioning: maintaining attention, organization, and executive function. A deficiency of norepinephrine within this brain region might cause inattention, problems with organization, and/or impaired executive functioning.
• Limbic system. This region, located deeper in the brain, regulates our emotions. A deficiency in this region might result in restlessness, inattention, or emotional volatility.
• Basal ganglia. These neural circuits regulate communication within the brain. Information from all regions of the brain enters the basal ganglia, and is then relayed to the correct sites in the brain. A deficiency in the basal ganglia can cause information to “short-circuit,” resulting in inattention or impulsivity.
• Reticular activating system. This is the major relay system among the many pathways that enter and leave the brain. A deficiency in the RAS can cause inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity.

These four regions interact with one another, so a deficiency in one region may cause a problem in one or more of the other regions. ADHD may be the result of problems in one or more of these regions." -The ADHD Brain , By Larry Silver, M.D.


Using the information and regions listed above, and any of your additional knowledge on the subject of ADHD or those regions...What would be your thoughts on the best approach to increase the deficient levels in EACH of the SEPARATE- possibly effected- regions of the brain listed above?

I have found this information on a PD medication called Tolcapone and it's affect on the dopamine levels in the frontal cortex... It also discusses that impulsivity may be linked to an imbalance in dopamine the the frontal cortex along with the striatum...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120725132443.htm


Any other studies, experiences, opinions, interesting thoughts or humor appreciated!!

Thanks Guys!

 

[Bltucka]

on a side note: can someone explain how to use the words affect vs effect in a way that a 10 year old would understand? 8(

 

[Coolwhip]

Affect is a verb, effect is a noun...except in the rarer case that effect is actually describing(or is) the cause of something and not the result.

 

[Bltucka]

Affect is a verb, effect is a noun...except in the rarer case that effect is actually describing(or is) the cause of something and not the result.

THANK YOU!!! That FINALLY was explained in a way that I can begin to grasp...Am I correct in my assumption that the word used in this sentence is incorrect? "I have found this information on a PD medication called Tolcapone and it's affect on the dopamine levels in the frontal cortex"

 

[Ozle]

Hi I am interested to read personal experiences (first) with any Parkinson's Disease medications with a history (or without) of being prescribed for off label use to treat ADHD (or ADD I'd assume) ...




"ADHD was the first disorder found to be the result of a deficiency of a specific neurotransmitter — in this case, norepinephrine — and the first disorder found to respond to medications to correct this underlying deficiency. Like all neurotransmitters, norepinephrine is synthesized within the brain. The basic building block of each norepinephrine molecule is dopa; this tiny molecule is converted into dopamine, which, in turn, is converted into norepinephrine." --The ADHD Brain , By Larry Silver, M.D.


"ADHD seems to involve impaired neurotransmitter activity in four functional regions of the brain:

• Frontal cortex. This region orchestrates high-level functioning: maintaining attention, organization, and executive function. A deficiency of norepinephrine within this brain region might cause inattention, problems with organization, and/or impaired executive functioning.
• Limbic system. This region, located deeper in the brain, regulates our emotions. A deficiency in this region might result in restlessness, inattention, or emotional volatility.
• Basal ganglia. These neural circuits regulate communication within the brain. Information from all regions of the brain enters the basal ganglia, and is then relayed to the correct sites in the brain. A deficiency in the basal ganglia can cause information to “short-circuit,” resulting in inattention or impulsivity.
• Reticular activating system. This is the major relay system among the many pathways that enter and leave the brain. A deficiency in the RAS can cause inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity.

These four regions interact with one another, so a deficiency in one region may cause a problem in one or more of the other regions. ADHD may be the result of problems in one or more of these regions." -The ADHD Brain , By Larry Silver, M.D.


Using the information and regions listed above, and any of your additional knowledge on the subject of ADHD or those regions...What would be your thoughts on the best approach to increase the deficient levels in EACH of the SEPARATE- possibly effected- regions of the brain listed above?

I have found this information on a PD medication called Tolcapone and it's affect on the dopamine levels in the frontal cortex... It also discusses that impulsivity may be linked to an imbalance in dopamine the the frontal cortex along with the striatum...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120725132443.htm

I'd always assumed that ADD/ADHD was more closely associated with dopamine than noradrenaline...? Tolcapone is a COMT inhibitor, and as I understand it they're only really effective for Parkinson's if combined with l-dopa. On the other hand, I did read several times that individual responses to amphetamines and other stimulants used to treat ADHD are correlated with intrinsic COMT activity, so it's not impossible that a COMT inhibitor could be beneficial. This particular drug's side-effect profile doesn't look encouraging though, and I doubt the risk/gain ratio would be favourable for disorders like ADHD (which is orders of magnitude less debilitating than Parkinson's).

Am I correct in my assumption that the word used in this sentence is incorrect? "I have found this information on a PD medication called Tolcapone and it's affect on the dopamine levels in the frontal cortex"

No, mainly because whoever wrote that made a very common mistake/typo: mistaking "its" (called a possessive pronoun, which basically means a shorthand way of saying "[thing]'s" when you already know what [thing] is; e.g. "I dropped my phone today, its screen is completely shattered") and "it's" (an abbreviation of "it is", so subject + verb; e.g. "it's a nice day today"). Neither "affect" nor "effect" make any sense after "it is" (99% of the time, anyway) so I can understand why you'd be confused.

on a side note: can someone explain how to use the words affect vs effect in a way that a 10 year old would understand? 8(

"Effect" is nearly always used as a noun, and means an action caused by something else (just think of it as meaning "result" or "action"). "Affect" is usually used as a verb - you can usually just think of it as another word for "influence" or "disrupt".

"Affect" can be used as a noun, and denotes an emotional state or reaction (e.g. "affective instability" is just psych jargon for mood swings). Likewise, "effect" is sometimes used as a verb, but it's relatively rare; in those cases it means "bring about" or "induce". The key difference between "affect" and "effect" when used as a verb is that "affect" implies changing something that already exists, while "effect" implies producing something new.