A dopaminergic neurotoxin, (R)-N-methylsalsolinol, increases in Parkinsonian cerebrospinal fluid.

The concentration of (R)-N-methylsalsolinol, which is a dopamine-derived neurotoxin selective to dopamine neurons and induces parkinsonism in rats, was found to be increased significantly in the cerebrospinal fluid of untreated patients with Parkinson's disease. The enantio-specific occurrence of (R)-N-methylsalsolinol in cerebrospinal fluid suggests its enzymatic synthesis in the human brain. The individual differences in the activities of the enzymes determining the metabolism of (R)-N-methylsalsolinol in the brain might be involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.