Apomorphine and certain ergot alkaloids (bromocriptine, lisuride and pergolide) have been available for several decades; for the last few years, they were joined by newer dopamine agonists (cabergoline, pramipexole and ropinirole) most of them are non-ergolines. Each of these dopamine agonists has its own pharmacological characteristics and occupies a place in the pharmacotherapy of Parkinsons ...

introduiction: this study aimed to investigate the protective effects of 12-week voluntary exercise using a running wheel on the striatum  dopaminergic neurons against 6-hydroxydopamine lesions in rats. materials and method: twenty five rats were divided into three groups including healthy, parkinson and training-parkinson. the training groups were housed in individual cages geared with running...

parkinson’s disease (pd) is a rather common movement disorder as a result of the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons within the substantianigra. current treatments for pd afford symptomatic relief with no prevention of disease progression. due to the neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic potential of the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine (bbr), this study was conducted to assess whether bbr pretrea...

Objective(s): Exercise ameliorates the quality of life and reduces the risk of neurological derangements such as Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Irisin is a product of the physical activity and is a circulating hormone that regulates the energy metabolism in the body. In the nervous system, Irisin influences neurogenesis and neural differentiation in mic...

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimer's disease, and the most common movement disorder. Drug treatment and deep brain stimulation can ameliorate symptoms, but the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra eventually leads to severe motor dysfunction. The transplantation of stem cells has emerged as a promising app...

L aser capture microdissection (LCM) is a new technology that is becoming increasingly important for studies of neurodegenerative disorders. A characteristic feature of all neurodegenerative diseases is “selective vulnerability.” In each of the disorders, there is selective degeneration of particular types of neurons, with relative preservation of much of the rest of the brain. Familiar example...

Loss of serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons may have serious implications for normal brain function. Drosophila models of neurodegenerative diseases utilize the short lifespan and simple anatomy of the fly to characterize the molecular and genetic processes characteristic to each dysfunctional state. In fly embryonic and larval ventral nerve cords, serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons are po...

Motor dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease are considered to be primarily due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Pharmacological therapies based on the principle of dopamine replacement are extremely valuable, but suffer from two main drawbacks: troubling side effects (e.g. dyskinesia) and loss of efficacy with disease progression. Transplantation ...

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are a potential source of dopaminergic neurons for treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Dopaminergic neurons can be derived from hESCs and display a characteristic midbrain phenotype. Once transplanted, they can induce partial behavioral recovery in animal models of PD. However, the potential research field faces several challenges that need to...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease, pathologically characterized by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra. Although various biomarkers and imaging criteria for PD have been established, objective reliable evaluation methods are still lacking. Electroneurography, as an measurement evoked compound muscle action potentials, used to ass...