Topic: α-synuclein oligomers

Parkinson's disease is a motor and cognitive neurodegenerative disorder associated to the progressive loss of Substantia Nigra pars compacta dopaminergic neurons. One cause of the disease is associated with the spreading of α-synuclein aggregates. Recent findings indicate that extracellular α-synuclein oligomers represent the most neurotoxic species and reduce the firing discharge of midbrain neurons, impair network synchronization, up-regulate Cav2.2 Ca channels and neurotransmitter release in cortical neurons. Here we combined conventional electrophysiology (current-clamp) and diamond multi

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common trait of Parkinson's disease (PD), often associated with early motor deficits, eventually evolving to PD with dementia in later disease stages. The neuropathological substrate of MCI is poorly understood, thus few studies pointed at immune dysfunctions as a contributing factor. We tested this hypothesis in an α-synuclein (αSyn)-based model of PD obtained by the intranigral infusion of human α-synuclein oligomers (H-SynOs). Three months after infusion rats developed mild cognitive deficits sustained by an altered electrophysiological activity in the a