Patients with Parkinson's disease suffer from a loss of neurons in the brain that make dopamine. One treatment is to provide a drug that increases dopamine levels in the brain. This drug is taken as a daily pill. However, dopamine can't be used directly as it can't cross the blood-brain barrier. Instead a precursor to dopamine (L-Dopa) is given, as it can pass through the BBB with the assistance of a transporter protein, and then be converted into dopamine in the brain tissue. What properties allow L-Dopa to pass through and prevent dopamine from passing, respectively?

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The Answer of Patients with Parkinson's disease suffer from a loss of neurons in the brain that make dopamine. One treatment is to provide a drug that increases dopamine levels in the brain. This drug is taken as a daily pill. However, dopamine can't be used directly as it can't cross the blood-brain barrier. Instead a precursor to dopamine (L-Dopa) is given, as it can pass through the BBB with the assistance of a transporter protein, and then be converted into dopamine in the brain tissue. What properties allow L-Dopa to pass through and prevent dopamine from passing, respectively?

Patients with Parkinson's Disease Suffer from a Loss of Neurons