Monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitors: implications for disease-modification in Parkinson’s disease

There is a substantial amount of evidence from experimental parkinsonian models to show the neuroprotective effects of monoamine oxidase-B(MAOB)inhibitors.They have been studied for their potential disease-modifying effects in Parkinson’s disease(PD)for over 20 years in various clinical trials.This review provides a summary of the clinical trials and discusses the implications of their results in the context of disease-modification in PD.Earlier clinical trials on selegiline were confounded by symptomatic effects of this drug.Later clinical trials on rasagiline using delayed-start design provide newer insights in disease-modification in PD but success in achieving the aims of this strategy remain elusive due to obstacles,some of which may be insurmountable.