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Brain : a Journal of Neurology Aug 2023Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and yet the early pathophysiological events of the condition and sequences of dysfunction remain... (Review)
Review
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and yet the early pathophysiological events of the condition and sequences of dysfunction remain unclear. The loss of dopaminergic neurons and reduced levels of striatal dopamine are descriptions used interchangeably as underlying the motor deficits in Parkinson's disease. However, decades of research suggest that dopamine release deficits in Parkinson's disease do not occur only after cell death, but that there is dysfunction or dysregulation of axonal dopamine release before cell loss. Here we review the evidence for dopamine release deficits prior to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, drawn from a large and emerging range of Parkinson's disease models, and the mechanisms by which these release deficits occur. The evidence indicates that impaired dopamine release can result from disruption to a diverse range of Parkinson's disease-associated genetic and molecular disturbances, and can be considered as a potential pathophysiological hallmark of Parkinson's disease.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Dopamine; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Dopaminergic Neurons
PubMed: 36864664
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad064 -
Brain Research Bulletin Jul 2023Impairments in systematic and regional glucose metabolism exist in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) at every stage of the disease course, and such impairments are... (Review)
Review
Impairments in systematic and regional glucose metabolism exist in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) at every stage of the disease course, and such impairments are associated with the incidence, progression, and special phenotypes of PD, which affect each physiological process of glucose metabolism including glucose uptake, glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and pentose phosphate shunt pathway. These impairments may be attributed to various mechanisms, such as insulin resistance, oxidative stress, abnormal glycated modification, blood-brain-barrier dysfunction, and hyperglycemia-induced damages. These mechanisms could subsequently cause excessive methylglyoxal and reactive oxygen species production, neuroinflammation, abnormal aggregation of protein, mitochondrial dysfunction, and decreased dopamine, and finally result in energy supply insufficiency, neurotransmitter dysregulation, aggregation and phosphorylation of α-synuclein, and dopaminergic neuron loss. This review discusses the glucose metabolism impairment in PD and its pathophysiological mechanisms, and briefly summarized the currently-available therapies targeting glucose metabolism impairment in PD, including glucagon-likepeptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/gastric inhibitory peptide receptor agonists, metformin, and thiazoledinediones.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Hyperglycemia; Glycolysis; Dopamine; Glucose; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Dopaminergic Neurons
PubMed: 37210012
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110672 -
Translational Neurodegeneration Sep 2023A pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons and decreased dopamine (DA) content in the substantia nigra pars... (Review)
Review
A pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons and decreased dopamine (DA) content in the substantia nigra pars compacta in PD brains. DA is the neurotransmitter of dopaminergic neurons. Accumulating evidence suggests that DA interacts with environmental and genetic factors to contribute to PD pathophysiology. Disturbances of DA synthesis, storage, transportation and metabolism have been shown to promote neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons in various PD models. DA is unstable and can undergo oxidation and metabolism to produce multiple reactive and toxic by-products, including reactive oxygen species, DA quinones, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde. Here we summarize and highlight recent discoveries on DA-linked pathophysiologic pathways, and discuss the potential protective and therapeutic strategies to mitigate the complications associated with DA.
Topics: Humans; Dopamine; Parkinson Disease; Brain; Dopaminergic Neurons
PubMed: 37718439
DOI: 10.1186/s40035-023-00378-6 -
Science (New York, N.Y.) Oct 2023The nervous system coordinates various motivated behaviors such as feeding, drinking, and escape to promote survival and evolutionary fitness. Although the precise... (Review)
Review
The nervous system coordinates various motivated behaviors such as feeding, drinking, and escape to promote survival and evolutionary fitness. Although the precise behavioral repertoires required for distinct motivated behaviors are diverse, common features such as approach or avoidance suggest that common brain substrates are required for a wide range of motivated behaviors. In this Review, I describe a framework by which neural circuits specified for some innate drives regulate the activity of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons to reinforce ongoing or planned actions to fulfill motivational demands. This framework may explain why signaling from VTA dopamine neurons is ubiquitously involved in many types of diverse volitional motivated actions, as well as how sensory and interoceptive cues can initiate specific goal-directed actions.
Topics: Dopaminergic Neurons; Motivation; Reward; Signal Transduction; Ventral Tegmental Area; Animals
PubMed: 37883553
DOI: 10.1126/science.adh8287 -
Cell Stem Cell Jul 2023Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer advantages for disease modeling and drug discovery. However, recreating innate cellular pathologies, particularly in...
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer advantages for disease modeling and drug discovery. However, recreating innate cellular pathologies, particularly in late-onset neurodegenerative diseases with accumulated protein aggregates including Parkinson's disease (PD), has been challenging. To overcome this barrier, we developed an optogenetics-assisted α-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation induction system (OASIS) that rapidly induces α-syn aggregates and toxicity in PD hiPSC-midbrain dopaminergic neurons and midbrain organoids. Our OASIS-based primary compound screening with SH-SY5Y cells identified 5 candidates that were secondarily validated with OASIS PD hiPSC-midbrain dopaminergic neurons and midbrain organoids, leading us to finally select BAG956. Furthermore, BAG956 significantly reverses characteristic PD phenotypes in α-syn preformed fibril models in vitro and in vivo by promoting autophagic clearance of pathological α-syn aggregates. Following the FDA Modernization Act 2.0's emphasis on alternative non-animal testing methods, our OASIS can serve as an animal-free preclinical test model (newly termed "nonclinical test") for the synucleinopathy drug development.
Topics: Humans; alpha-Synuclein; Dopaminergic Neurons; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; Neuroblastoma; Optogenetics; Parkinson Disease
PubMed: 37339636
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.05.015 -
Science Advances Nov 2023Recent studies have identified increasing levels of nanoplastic pollution in the environment. Here, we find that anionic nanoplastic contaminants potently precipitate...
Recent studies have identified increasing levels of nanoplastic pollution in the environment. Here, we find that anionic nanoplastic contaminants potently precipitate the formation and propagation of α-synuclein protein fibrils through a high-affinity interaction with the amphipathic and non-amyloid component (NAC) domains in α-synuclein. Nanoplastics can internalize in neurons through clathrin-dependent endocytosis, causing a mild lysosomal impairment that slows the degradation of aggregated α-synuclein. In mice, nanoplastics combine with α-synuclein fibrils to exacerbate the spread of α-synuclein pathology across interconnected vulnerable brain regions, including the strong induction of α-synuclein inclusions in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. These results highlight a potential link for further exploration between nanoplastic pollution and α-synuclein aggregation associated with Parkinson's disease and related dementias.
Topics: Mice; Animals; alpha-Synuclein; Parkinson Disease; Microplastics; Inclusion Bodies; Dopaminergic Neurons
PubMed: 37976362
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi8716 -
Neurochemical Research Aug 2023Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disorder whose pathogenesis is not completely understood. Mitochondrial dysfunction and increased... (Review)
Review
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disorder whose pathogenesis is not completely understood. Mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress have been considered as major causes and central events responsible for the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in PD. Therefore, investigating mitochondrial disorders plays a role in understanding the pathogenesis of PD and can be an important therapeutic target for this disease. This study discusses the effect of environmental, genetic and biological factors on mitochondrial dysfunction and also focuses on the mitochondrial molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, and its possible therapeutic targets in PD, including reactive oxygen species generation, calcium overload, inflammasome activation, apoptosis, mitophagy, mitochondrial biogenesis, and mitochondrial dynamics. Other potential therapeutic strategies such as mitochondrial transfer/transplantation, targeting microRNAs, using stem cells, photobiomodulation, diet, and exercise were also discussed in this review, which may provide valuable insights into clinical aspects. A better understanding of the roles of mitochondria in the pathophysiology of PD may provide a rationale for designing novel therapeutic interventions in our fight against PD.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Diseases; Oxidative Stress; Dopaminergic Neurons
PubMed: 36943668
DOI: 10.1007/s11064-023-03904-0 -
Cell Stem Cell Feb 2024COVID-19 patients commonly present with signs of central nervous system and/or peripheral nervous system dysfunction. Here, we show that midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons...
COVID-19 patients commonly present with signs of central nervous system and/or peripheral nervous system dysfunction. Here, we show that midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are selectively susceptible and permissive to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection of DA neurons triggers an inflammatory and cellular senescence response. High-throughput screening in hPSC-derived DA neurons identified several FDA-approved drugs that can rescue the cellular senescence phenotype by preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also identified the inflammatory and cellular senescence signature and low levels of SARS-CoV-2 transcripts in human substantia nigra tissue of COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, we observed reduced numbers of neuromelanin+ and tyrosine-hydroxylase (TH)+ DA neurons and fibers in a cohort of severe COVID-19 patients. Our findings demonstrate that hPSC-derived DA neurons are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, identify candidate neuroprotective drugs for COVID-19 patients, and suggest the need for careful, long-term monitoring of neurological problems in COVID-19 patients.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Dopaminergic Neurons; Central Nervous System; Pluripotent Stem Cells
PubMed: 38237586
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.12.012 -
Nature Neuroscience Oct 2023Dopamine neurons are characterized by their response to unexpected rewards, but they also fire during movement and aversive stimuli. Dopamine neuron diversity has been...
Dopamine neurons are characterized by their response to unexpected rewards, but they also fire during movement and aversive stimuli. Dopamine neuron diversity has been observed based on molecular expression profiles; however, whether different functions map onto such genetic subtypes remains unclear. In this study, we established that three genetic dopamine neuron subtypes within the substantia nigra pars compacta, characterized by the expression of Slc17a6 (Vglut2), Calb1 and Anxa1, each have a unique set of responses to rewards, aversive stimuli and accelerations and decelerations, and these signaling patterns are highly correlated between somas and axons within subtypes. Remarkably, reward responses were almost entirely absent in the Anxa1 subtype, which instead displayed acceleration-correlated signaling. Our findings establish a connection between functional and genetic dopamine neuron subtypes and demonstrate that molecular expression patterns can serve as a common framework to dissect dopaminergic functions.
Topics: Dopaminergic Neurons; Substantia Nigra; Signal Transduction; Axons
PubMed: 37537242
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01401-9 -
Pharmacological Research Jul 2023Oxidative disruption of dopaminergic neurons is regarded as a crucial pathogenesis in Parkinson's disease (PD), eventually causing neurodegenerative progression....
Oxidative disruption of dopaminergic neurons is regarded as a crucial pathogenesis in Parkinson's disease (PD), eventually causing neurodegenerative progression. (-)-Clausenamide (Clau) is an alkaloid isolated from plant Clausena lansium (Lour.), which is well-known as a scavenger of lipid peroxide products and exhibiting neuroprotective activities both in vivo and in vitro, yet with the in-depth molecular mechanism unrevealed. In this study, we evaluated the protective effects and mechanisms of Clau on dopaminergic neuron. Our results showed that Clau directly interacted with the Ser663 of ALOX5, the PKCα-phosphorylation site, and thus prevented the nuclear translocation of ALOX5, which was essential for catalyzing the production of toxic lipids 5-HETE. LC-MS/MS-based phospholipidomics analysis demonstrated that the oxidized membrane lipids were involved in triggering ferroptotic death in dopaminergic neurons. Furthermore, the inhibition of ALOX5 was found to significantly improving behavioral defects in PD mouse model, which was confirmed associated with the effects of attenuating the accumulation of lipid peroxides and neuronal damages. Collectively, our findings provide an attractive strategy for PD therapy by targeting ALOX5 and preventing ferroptosis in dopaminergic neurons.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Dopaminergic Neurons; Ferroptosis; Chromatography, Liquid; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Parkinson Disease
PubMed: 37121496
DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106779