Edwin Mak

TL;DR: The strength of belief of improvement can directly modulate dopamine release in patients with PD and the importance of uncertainty and/or salience over and above a patient's prior treatment response in regulating the placebo effect is demonstrated.

TL;DR: The study demonstrates that the in vivo neurochemical phenotype of LRRK2 mutations is indistinguishable from that of sPD, despite the pathological heterogeneity of the condition, and suggests that compensatory changes including downregulation of the DAT and upregulation of decarboxylase activity may delay the onset of parkinsonian symptoms.

TL;DR: The study suggests that the mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease initiation and progression are probably different and may reflect non-specific mechanisms such as oxidative stress, inflammation or excitotoxicity.

TL;DR: It is concluded that dopamine D1 receptor density declines with age and that the effects of physiological ageing may play a role in the expression of extrapyramidal disorders in the elderly.