Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity is increased in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Parkinson's disease

I. Rainero, J. A. Kaye, C. May, R. Durso, D. I. Katz, M. L. Albert, N. Wolfe, L. Pinessi, R. P. Friedland and S. I. Rapoport
Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Md 20892.

We measured alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid of 12 healthy control subjects and nine patients with Parkinson's disease, four of whom had never been treated. Mean cerebrospinal fluid alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity concentration was two-fold greater in parkinsonian patients (44.1 +/- 9.3 [SD] pg/mL) as compared with control subjects (21.8 +/- 10.0 pg/mL). No significant correlation was found between cerebrospinal fluid alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity concentrations and patient age, disease severity, or duration of disease. These results suggest a functional relation between dopaminergic and melanotropinergic systems in the human brain.