Don't Ergo the Ergots (or don't overlook the benefits of the rye fungi) by Robert Mason PhD

Its first major anti-aging use is the enhancement of dopamine, (a key brain neurotransmitter that undergoes an age-related decline). Past the age of 40 it is estimated that "on-average" the healthy person undergoes a dopamine decline of approximately 13% per decade (Ward, Fowkes & Morgenthaler) & [Ed.see chart in the deprenyl article of this issue]. Accordingly, some neurologists have stated that "if we all live long enough we shall all become senile." This is due to the fact that abnormally low levels of dopamine (70% to 80% loss) are then diagnosed as Parkinson's disease, hence protection and enhancement of the dopamine producing neurons is a key strategy for anti-aging medicine. Not surprisingly then, bromocriptine is used in conjunction with other drugs (such as deprenyl and L-dopa) in the management of Parkinson's disease, but anti-aging medicine considers its preventative properties too.