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REVIEW ARTICLE

George Cotzias’ achievements and levodopa therapy: Their contribution to medical science

Konstantina Kotsaki1* ,  Mehmet Doğan2
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1 School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
2 Council of Forensic Medicine, Ministry of Justice, Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye
Advanced Neurology, 5177 https://doi.org/10.36922/an.5177
Submitted: 17 October 2024 | Revised: 7 December 2024 | Accepted: 26 December 2024 | Published: 13 January 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

George Cotzias was a tireless physician who conducted a variety of studies, focusing mainly on neurological diseases. After leaving his medical studies to serve the Greek army voluntarily, Cotzias was relocated to the United States of America where he continued his studies at Harvard University. His first research was on hypertension, metabolism, and energy balance issues. Later on, he became the chief director of a project on chronic manganese poisoning. It was there that he identified the common characteristics between chronic manganese poisoning and Parkinson’s disease, which led him to be referred to the cyclotron. Furthermore, he noted the presence of dyskinetic, motor fluctuation abnormalities, and hypersensitivity caused by levodopa (L-DOPA). He was a pioneer in demonstrating the revolutionary practical benefits of L-DOPA therapy. This accomplishment was a consequence of his patience and insistence to monitor closely, even with cinematographic recording, the health condition of his patients while modifying the L-DOPA dose for optimal health benefit. Cotzias also developed drugs combining L-DOPA and dopamine agonists, defined the phenomenon of the brain’s ability to store chemical memory, and established the correlation between L-DOPA and cancer. His work significantly improved the lives and longevity of many individuals. Before his death from cancer in 1977, Cotzias received numerous distinctions and awards for his outstanding contributions to medicine. After his death, his legacy was honored through the establishment of various scholarships, professorships, conferences, and a movie dedicated to his medical achievements.

Keywords
Cotzias
Levodopa
Parkinson’s disease
Neurodegenerative diseases
Neuroscience
Neurology
Medicine
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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