Corpus Striatum ; Dopaminergic Neurons ; Humans ; Mesencephalon ; Parkinson Disease/drug therapy* ; Pars Compacta ; Substantia Nigra

No abstract available.
Animals ; Neurons* ; Oxidopamine* ; Rats* ; Substantia Nigra*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Immunohistochemistry* ; Neurons* ; Rats* ; Substantia Nigra*

Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons from the substantia nigra pars compacta leading to the impairment of motor functions. Recent genetic studies have uncovered several genes involved in inherited forms of the disease. These gene products are likely to be implicated in the biochemical pathways underlying the etiology of sporadic PD. Our review discusses the pathogenetic mechanisms of the mutated genes.
Dopaminergic Neurons ; Genetics ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Parkinson Disease* ; Substantia Nigra

BACKGROUND: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) has been used to measure iron accumulation in the deep nuclei of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study examined the relationship between non-motor symptoms (NMSs) and iron accumulation in the deep nuclei of patients with PD. METHODS: The QSM data were acquired from 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 29 patients with early PD and 19 normal controls. The Korean version of the NMS scale (K-NMSS) was used for evaluation of NMSs in patients. The patients were divided into high NMS and low NMS groups. The region-of-interest analyses were performed in the following deep nuclei: red nucleus, substantia nigra pars compacta, substantia nigra pars reticulata, dentate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen, and head of the caudate nucleus. RESULTS: Thirteen patients had high NMS scores (total K-NMSS score, mean = 32.1), and 16 had low NMS scores (10.6). The QSM values in the deep were not different among the patients with high NMS scores, low NMS scores, and controls. The QSM values were not correlated linearly with K-NMSS total score after adjusting the age at acquisition of brain MRI. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that the NMS burdens are not associated with iron accumulation in the deep nuclei of patients with PD. These results suggest that future neuroimaging studies on the pathology of NMSs in PD should use more specific and detailed clinical tools and recruit PD patients with severe NMSs.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Caudate Nucleus ; Cerebellar Nuclei ; Globus Pallidus ; Head ; Humans ; Iron* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neuroimaging ; Parkinson Disease* ; Pars Compacta ; Pars Reticulata ; Pathology ; Putamen ; Red Nucleus

We describe two patients with speech-induced oromandibular dystonia. One patient showed mainly jaw dystonia, while the other patient had lingual dystonia. A brain MRI revealed acute cerebral infarctions in the midbrain near the substantia nigra in the patient with jaw dystonia, while the patient with the lingual dystonia showed no structural lesions. Symptoms in both patients were partly improved with sensory tricks, such as chewing gum or holding a candy in their mouths. Their symptoms were completely recovered with anticholinergic therapy.
Brain ; Candy ; Cerebral Infarction ; Chewing Gum ; Dystonia* ; Humans ; Jaw ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mesencephalon ; Mouth ; Substantia Nigra

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of ipsilateral subthalamic nucleus(STN) lesioning on the spontaneous behavioral changes and the alteration of neuronal activities of deep cerebral nuclei in the rat parkinsonian model with 6-hydroxydopamine(6-OHDA). METHODS: To identify the spontaneous behavioral changes, apomorphine-induced rotational test and forepaw adjusting step were performed. We subsequently investigated the alteration of neuronal activities in the substantia nigra pars reticulata(SNpr) and globus pallidus(GP), in order to compare them with the behavioral changes in rat parkinsonian models. RESULTS: The STN lesioning in the rat parkinsonian model clearly improved behavioral changes. Compared to the normal control rats, rat PD models exhibited a significant increase in mean firing rates and the percentage of bursting neurons in the STN and SNpr. In the STN-lesioned rat PD models, mean firing rates and the percentage of bursting neurons in the SNpr were reduced and those in the GP increased. CONCLUSION: STN lesioning induced behavior improvement in rat parkinsonian models seems to be consistent with the surgical outcomes of the STN stimulation therapy in advanced Parkinsonn's disease(PD). The alteration of the neuronal activities in the SNpr and GP suggests that these sites are responsible for the improvement of parkinsonian motor symptoms observed following STN lesioning in rat parkinsonian models. The significance of bursting activity in the SNpr and GP remains obscure. Further study is necessary to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanism of PD.
Animals ; Fires ; Globus Pallidus ; Kainic Acid* ; Neurons* ; Oxidopamine* ; Parkinson Disease ; Rats* ; Substantia Nigra ; Subthalamic Nucleus

To clarify neuronal connection of the medial rectus muscle at brain stem, Bartha strain of the psecudorabies virus(PRV-Ba) and cholera toxin-horeserdish peroxidase(CT-HRP) was injected into medial rectus muscle of the rat. About 84 hours after PRV or CT-HRP injection, the brain was removed and processed immunohistochemical stain for PRV-Ba and neurohistochemical stain for CT-HRP using tetramethyl benzidine. The CT-HRP positive reaction was only present in ipsilateral oculomotor nucleus, contralateral abducence nucleus and bilaterally in rostral interstitial nucleus of medial longitudinal fasciculus, olivary pretectal nucleus, medial and superior vestibular nucleus, nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, prerubral field, nucleus Darkschewitsch, lateral substantia nigra, terminal nucleus of accessory nucleus, dorsal raphenucleus, locus ceruleus and pontime reticular formation. This study confirmed that both oculomotor nucleus and abducence nucleus were connected with each other through the medial longitudinal fasciculus, and neuronal connection of the medial rectus muscle in the rat brain stem.
Animals ; Brain Stem* ; Brain* ; Cholera ; Locus Coeruleus ; Neurons ; Rats* ; Reticular Formation ; Substantia Nigra

Although secondary delayed neuronal death has been considered as a therapeutic target to minimize brain damage induced by several injuries, delayed neuronal death does not occur always. In this study, we investigated possible mechanisms that prevent delayed neuronal death in the ATP-injected substantia nigra (SN) and cortex, where delayed neuronal death does not occur. In both the SN and cortex, ATP rapidly induced death of the neurons and astrocytes in the injection core area within 3 h, and the astrocytes in the penumbra region became hypertropic and rapidly surrounded the damaged areas. It was observed that the neurons survived for up to 1-3 months in the area where the astrocytes became hypertropic. The damaged areas of astrocytes gradually reduced at 3 days, 7 days, and 1-3 months. Astrocyte proliferation was detectable at 3-7 days, and vimentin was expressed in astrocytes that surrounded and/or protruded into the damaged sites. The NeuN-positive cells also reappeared in the injury sites where astrocytes reappeared. Taken together, these results suggest that astroycte survival and/or gliosis in the injured brain may be critical for neuronal survival and may prevent delayed neuronal death in the injured brain.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Astrocytes ; Brain Injuries ; Brain* ; Gliosis ; Neurons* ; Substantia Nigra ; Vimentin

To determine whether toxic and trace elements may play -a role as ail etiologic factor in the development of Parkinson's disease (PD), we measured the levels of toxic and trace elements in the hair from 56 PD patients and 50 normal controls with atomic absorption spectrophotometer In the hair of PD, the zinc concentration showed a significantly lower amount (p=O. 0001) and the concentrations of lead, cad mium, and copper showed a significantly larger amount (Pb, Cd, Cu : p=0.0012, 0. 0444, 0.0286) compared with those of the normal controls. There were no significant differences between the two groups in concentrations of mercury, manganese, iron and aluminum. The levels of each of the toxic and trace elements measured had no significant relationship with Hoehn-Yahr stage, age or the duration of disease. Our data was inconsistent with previous results that analysed the levels of toxic and trace elements in substantia nigra of parkinsonian patients. Due to significant differences in the levels of zinc, copper, lead and cadmium between PD and normal control group, there may be a relationship between PD and those toxic and trace elements. Hair analysis can be so easily applied in clinical practice that a large scale study should be attempted to further evaluate the relationship between trace elements and PD.
Absorption ; Aluminum ; Cadmium ; Copper ; Hair* ; Humans ; Iron ; Manganese ; Parkinson Disease* ; Substantia Nigra ; Trace Elements ; Zinc