A unifying theory of movement and madness: involvement of free radicals in disorders of the isodendritic core of the brainstem.

Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease are both neuro-degenerative disorders which affect a large number of the older population. Schizophrenia is a neuropsychiatric illness with a variable course which, sometimes, results in a deteriorated state, the so-called schizophrenic burnout. Although the pathogenesi(e)s of these syndromes is (are) not known, it has been suggested that the reported neuropathological findings are concentrated in neuronal systems located within the isodendritic core of the brainstem. It has also been proposed that oxyradicals might play an important role in the development, the manifestation, and the course of these syndromes. The present article provides a theoretical synthesis of these ideas.