Topic: nigrostriatal pathway

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta, leading to motor and cognitive impairments. The lack of a cure for this disease highlights the urgency in finding drugs that can modify its course. This emphasizes the importance of creating preclinical models that mimic major aspects of the disease. Rotenone, a natural pesticide that inhibits the mitochondrial complex I, has been shown to induce inflammation and selectively destroys nigrostriatal dopaminergic cells and thus presents itself as a

Inactivating mutations in the PRKN gene encoding the ubiquitin ligase PARKIN are a leading cause of Autosomal Recessive Juvenile Parkinsonism (ARJP), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by early dysfunction and death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Harnessing this mutation to create an early-onset Parkinson’s disease (PD) mouse model would provide a unique opportunity to clarify the mechanisms involved in the neurodegenerative process and lay the groundwork for the development of neuroprotective strategies. By using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we created

Manipulation and real-time monitoring of neuronal activity with cell-type specificity and precise spatiotemporal resolution are indispensable means to explore and expand our understanding of brain function in vivo. Simultaneous optogenetics and fiber photometry can unlock precisely that - the manipulation and measurement of neural activity and neurochemical release with high temporal resolution. Furthermore, in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), locally controlled neuronal firing and its physiological effects can be readily linked to changes in global brain activity