It could be a rave result for people with Parkinson's. It seems
that ecstasy boosts the number of dopamine-producing cells in the
brain - the type that decline in those with the disease. Or so rat
studies suggest.
Previous human studies have suggested that ecstasy is bad for the
brain because it damages serotonin signalling neurons, which play a
role in memory. When Jack Lipton of the University of Cincinnati and
his colleagues gave pregnant rats the drug they found no signs of
damage in newborn pups.

Instead, they saw a threefold rise in the number of dopamine
producing cells. These cells were also more highly branched and
developed than normal, suggesting they functioned better.

Similarly, when cultured embryonic dopamine cells were exposed to
ecstasy, roughly three times as many cells survived. The effect
didn't vary much with increasing concentration, although
particularly high doses did kill the brain cells.

Lipton believes that ecstasy prevents the programmed cell death that
normally occurs when neurons are stressed, as happens in certain
degenerative diseases including Parkinson's, and in cell cultures.

Lipton suggests that some promising new ecstasy-like drugs might one
day be used to boost dopamine-producing cells in people with
Parkinson's - without damaging other neurons in the brain. The work
was presented at a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in
Atlanta, Georgia, last week.

27 October 2006(NewScientist.com) -