Increased plasma concentrations of aspartate, glutamate and glycine in Parkinson's disease.

We measured fasting plasma amino acids in 20 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 20 controls matched for age and sex. PD patients had significant elevations in plasma levels of aspartate, glutamate and glycine. The levels of other amino acids were not significantly different from those found in controls. No correlation was noted between PD severity and the degree of abnormality of plasma amino acids. We conclude that excitatory amino acids may be altered in patients with PD, and raise the possibility that neuroexcitotoxic mechanisms may be involved in the neurodegeneration of PD.