Intracerebral human microdialysis in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Microdialysis (MD) procedure is a versatile technique that allows the analysis of small molecular weight compounds from the interstitial space in different tissues. MD was used extensively in neuroscience animal studies at the end of last century, while only a single MD study in the human brain was performed at the end of 1980s. In contrast, over the last decade MD has been applied in humans mainly in neurological disorders, such as stroke, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease (PD). In these disorders MD has allowed quantification of neurotransmitters, peptides, and hormones giving precious information in research as well as in clinical practice. Microdialysis in awake PD patients in conjunction with deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery has received increasing interest, but is nonetheless still a novel approach. It is likely that MD will be instrumental as a research tool in clarifying important open issues relating to the basal ganglia functions and dysfunctions. The present chapter will summarize the principles of MD and its involvement in research studies in PD in humans, illuminating the limits and the future applications of this procedure.