Amphetamine-type drugs may be beneficial for treating symptoms of Parkinson's disease,according to new data from the US.Researchers developed mouse models of Parkinson's disease that were unable to produce or recycle dopamine.As expected,the Parkinson's symptoms were reversed by the administration of dopamine agonists and the dopamine precursor levodopa.However,a number of amphetamine derivatives were also found to reduce the akinesia and rigidity of the mice,via a mechanism not thought to involve dopamine.One drug,3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine(MDMA),the chemical entity found in ecstasy,was found to be especially effective in restoring movement
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