ATP Signaling Controlling Dyskinesia Through P2X7 Receptors.

Dopamine replacement therapy with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) is the only temporary therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), but it triggers dyskinesia over time. Since dyskinesia is associated with increased neuronal firing that bolsters purinergic signaling, we now tested whether the selective and blood-brain barrier-permeable P2X7 receptor antagonist Brilliant Blue-G (BBG, 22.5-45 mg/kg ip) attenuated behavioral, neurochemical and biochemical alterations in rats turned hemiparkinsonian upon unilateral striatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and treated daily with L-DOPA (30 mg/kg by gavage) for 22 days.