Antiparkinsonian drugs: inhibition of dopamine uptake in the corpus striatum as a possible mechanism of action.

A variety of antiparkinsonian drugs are potent, noncompetitive inhibitors of dopamine uptake into synaptosomes in homogenates of rat corpus striatum. Inhibition of dopamine uptake may potentiate the synaptic actions of dopamine in the striatum and could explain the antiparkinsonian effects of these drugs. This hypothesis accounts for several clinical features of Parkinson's disease and predicts compounds which may be new therapeutic agents.