International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Sep 2022)

Neuropathology of the Basal Ganglia in SNCA Transgenic Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease: Involvement of Parvalbuminergic Interneurons and Glial-Derived Neurotropic Factor

  • Emanuela Paldino,
  • Vincenza D’angelo,
  • Mariangela Massaro Cenere,
  • Ezia Guatteo,
  • Simone Barattucci,
  • Giorgia Migliorato,
  • Nicola Berretta,
  • Olaf Riess,
  • Giuseppe Sancesario,
  • Nicola Biagio Mercuri,
  • Francesca Romana Fusco

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231710126
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 17
p. 10126

Abstract

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Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein, encoded by the SNCA gene. The main neuropathological hallmark of PD is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons leading to striatal dopamine depletion. Trophic support by a neurotrophin called glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is also lacking in PD. We performed immunohistochemical studies to investigate neuropathological changes in the basal ganglia of a rat transgenic model of PD overexpressing alfa-synuclein. We observed that neuronal loss also occurs in the dorsolateral part of the striatum in the advanced stages of the disease. Moreover, along with the degeneration of the medium spiny projection neurons, we found a dramatic loss of parvalbumin interneurons. A marked decrease in GDNF, which is produced by parvalbumin interneurons, was observed in the striatum and in the substantia nigra of these animals. This confirmed the involvement of the striatum in the pathophysiology of PD and the importance of GDNF in maintaining the health of the substantia nigra.

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