PSYCHIATRIC STATUS AFTER HUMAN FETAL MESENCEPHALIC TISSUE-TRANSPLANTATION IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE

This report describes the prospective and systematic psychiatric asses sment of nine patients who received transplantation of human fetal mes encephalic tissue into the caudate nucleus for treatment of Parkinson' s disease. Unlike adrenal medullary transplantation, which often cause s psychosis or delirium, this procedure appeared to have few periopera tive sequelae. On longer-term follow-up, there was some statistical ev idence of deterioration in psychiatric status, as manifested primarily in depressive and nonspecific emotional and behavioral symptoms. This group effect was partly attributable to the occurrence of discrete ep isodes of illness (major depression and panic disorder with agoraphobi a) in some patients, but it was unclear whether such episodes occurred more often than would ordinarily be expected in Parkinson's disease. Differences in the neurobiological effects of fetal mesencephalic and adrenal medullary grafts may account for differences in the psychiatri c sequelae of patients receiving these procedures.