Parkinson's disease: current view.

MPTP, a reverse ester of meperidine, is one of a number of "designer drugs" that have recently flooded the California drug market. Young adults who have used this drug have developed classic Parkinson's disease. The discovery that MPTP is selectively toxic to the substantia nigra has revitalized basic research on Parkinson's disease. New therapeutic strategies have been suggested, and new techniques may make it possible to detect the disease in its preclinical stage.