Prospects for new restorative and neuroprotective treatments in Parkinson's disease.
The degeneration of forebrain dopamine systems in Parkinson's disease has been an effective target for pharmaceutical research over the past four decades. However, although dopamine replacement may alleviate the symptoms of the disease, it does not halt the underlying neuronal degeneration. The past decade has seen major advances in identifying discrete genetic and molecular causes of parkinsonism and mapping the events involved in nigral cell death. This new understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease now offers novel prospects for therapy based on targeted neuroprotection of vulnerable neurons and effective strategies for their replacement.
Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, UK.
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Dunnett
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Björklund
D000818:Animals; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016923:Cell Death; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009154:Mutation; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000473:pathology
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D007980:Levodopa