In vivo reduction of age-dependent neuromelanin accumulation mitigates features of Parkinson’s disease

By Marta Gonzalez-Sepulveda, PhD, Thais Cuadros, PhD, Alba Nicolau, BSc, Camille Guillard-Sirieix, Núria Peñuelas, BSc, Marina Lorente-Picón, MSc, Annabelle Parent, BSc, Joana M. Cladera, MSc, Ariadna Laguna, PhD and Miquel Vila, MD, PhD
Published September 4, 2022
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Output Details

Preprint September 15, 2022

Published September 4, 2022

Description
Humans accumulate with age the dark-brown pigment neuromelanin inside specific neuronal groups. Neurons with the highest neuromelanin levels are particularly susceptible to degeneration in Parkinson’s disease, especially dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra (SN), the loss of which leads to characteristic motor Parkinson’s disease symptoms. In contrast to humans, neuromelanin does not appear spontaneously in most animals, including rodents, and Parkinson’s disease is an exclusively human condition. Using humanized neuromelanin-producing rodents, we recently found that neuromelanin can trigger Parkinson’s disease pathology when accumulated above a specific pathogenic threshold.
Identifier (DOI)
10.1093/brain/awac445
Tags
  • Original Research
Team
Team Vila
Program
Collaborative Research Network
Theme
Circuitry and Brain-Body Interactions

Meet the Authors

  • Marta Gonzalez-Sepulveda, PhD

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

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    Thais Cuadros, PhD

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

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    Alba Nicolau, BSc

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

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    Camille Guillard-Sirieix

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

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    Núria Peñuelas, BSc

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Hospital Universitari

  • User avatar fallback logo

    Marina Lorente-Picón, MSc

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

  • User avatar fallback logo

    Annabelle Parent, BSc

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

  • User avatar fallback logo

    Joana M. Cladera, MSc

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

  • User avatar fallback logo

    Ariadna Laguna, PhD

    Key Personnel: Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

  • Miquel Vila, MD, PhD

    Lead PI (Core Leadership): Team Vila, 

    Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca, Autonomous University of Barcelona

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Aligning Science Across Parkinson's
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