α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity is increased in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Parkinson's disease

We measured alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid of 12 healthy control subjects and nine patients with Parkinson's disease, four of whom had never been treated. Mean cerebrospinal fluid alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity concentration was two-fold greater in parkinsonian patients (44.1 +/- 9.3 [SD] pg/mL) as compared with control subjects (21.8 +/- 10.0 pg/mL). No significant correlation was found between cerebrospinal fluid alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormonelike immunoreactivity concentrations and patient age, disease severity, or duration of disease. These results suggest a functional relation between dopaminergic and melanotropinergic systems in the human brain.