DISEASES OF THE BASAL GANGLIA - REVIEW OF THE PERIOD 1992-1993

Developments in research, diagnosis and therapy of selected basal gang lia diseases are reviewed: The genes for Huntington chorea, for rare f orms of dystonia and for Wilson's disease have been identified. The tr eatment of focal dystonia with botulinum toxin A has been approved now in Germany. In Parkinson's disease the substantia nigra expresses cha nges in parameters of the redox system and in complex I activity at a very early state of the disease. New therapeutical pharmacological and surgical procedures are summarized. Neuroleptica induced abnormal inv oluntary movements and the use of atypical neuroleptics in the therapy of dopamimetica induced psychosis in Parkinson's disease are discusse d.