Introduction: Antidepressants can modulate brain monoamines by acting on pre-synaptic and postsynaptic receptors. Autoreceptors can reduce the monoamines effect on the somatodendritic or pre-synaptic regions despite its postsynaptic counter effects. The direct effect of some antidepressants is related to its temporal and spatial bioavailability in the vicinity of these receptors (still a matter...

Deficiencies in neurotransmitter-specific cell groups in the midbrain result in prominent neural disorders, including Parkinson's disease, which is caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. We have investigated in mice the role of the engrailed homeodomain transcription factors, En-1 and En-2, in controlling the developmental fate of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. En-1...

The hallmark of Parkinson Disease (PD) is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and the consequent striatal dopamine (DA) deficiency, although it is well recognized that neurodegeneration in PD goes beyond the SNc. Major advances have occurred in recent years on the molecular and pathophysiological basis of PD, however there remain many questions a...

The molecular mechanisms involved in the neurodegenerative process of Parkinson's disease remain unclear. Currently, there is a general agreement that mitochondrial dysfunction, α-synuclein aggregation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and impaired protein degradation are involved in the neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons containing neuromelanin in Parkinson's disease. Aminochrome ha...

Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, has prominent symptoms like tremor, rigidity, akinesia and bradykinesia. Cases of Parkinson’s disease are reported to be more in old age, mostly above the age of 60 years. Loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra causes lack of motor functions. The dopaminergic neurons synthesizing dopamine from L-tyrosine degenerate. Both genetic a...

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative dysfunction characterized by the loss of pigmented dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal system with a consequent dopamine decrease. The reduction of dopamine levels produces neuronal damage, depigmentation of the substantia nigra, and the presence of intracellular inclusions in dopaminergic neurons. Treatments for Parkinson's disease a...

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are able to proliferate in vitro indefinitely without losing their ability to differentiate into multiple cell types upon exposure to appropriate signals. Particularly, the ability of hESCs to differentiate into neuronal subtypes is fundamental to develop cell-based therapies for several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's di...

Degeneration of dopaminergicrgic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease and inflammation and oxidative stress are closely associated with the pathogenesis of degenerative neurological disorders. Treatment of rat mesencephalic mixed neuron-glia cultures with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated microglia, resident immune cells of the brain, to release pro...

introduction: parkinsonrquote s disease (pd) is a human neurodegenerative disorder which is associated with a massive and progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in subistantia nigra (sn). there is a strong evidence of an oxidative stress participates in the etiology of pd. materials and methods: the rats were divided into sham-operated, experimental and vitamin e-treated groups. for a...

Parkinson disease is one of the common brain diseases caused by dopaminergic neuronal loss in the substantia nigra and dopaminergic fiber loss in the striatum. In the present study, the effects of treadmill exercise on motor performance, dopaminergic loss of neurons and fibers, and α-synuclein expression in the nigrostriatum were evaluated using rotenone-induced Parkinson rats. For the inductio...