Experimental developments in movement disorders: update on proposed free radical mechanisms.

Free radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Some basic aspects about free radicals as they relate to oxidative stress in neurodegeneration are summarized. Old and new experimental findings pertinent to oxidative damage in movement disorders are reviewed. Finally, the degree to which toxin-induced and genetically engineered experimental models have been useful in delineating parts of the mechanisms involved in the cascade of events that lead to neuronal death is emphasized.