In vivo reduction of age-dependent neuromelanin accumulation mitigates features of Parkinson’s disease
Published September 4, 2022
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
