Title

Rodent models of Parkinson's disease: beyond the motor symptomatology

Authors

Authors

F. L. Campos; M. M. Carvalho; A. C. Cristovao; G. Je; G. Baltazar; A. J. Salgado; Y. S. Kim;N. Sousa

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

Keywords

Parkinson's disease; non-motor symptoms; motor deficits; paraquat; alpha-synuclein; 6-OHDA; rat; ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN; NONMOTOR SYMPTOMS; EARLY-PHASE; ANXIETY; DEMENTIA; PARAQUAT; 6-OHDA; RATS; OVEREXPRESSION; IMPAIRMENT; Behavioral Sciences; Neurosciences

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is classically characterized by motor symptoms; however, non-motor symptoms (NMS) are increasingly recognized as relevant in disease-state, given the associated alterations in mood (depression and anxiety) and cognition. Here, particularly in regards to NMS, we aimed to compare the motor, emotional and cognitive behavior of three animal models of PD that trigger dopaminergic (DAergic) degeneration on both brain hemispheres: (i) the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 8 or 6 mu g) lesion model; (ii) the paraquat (PQ) induced model, and (iii) a genetic model based on alpha-synuclein overexpression (alpha-syn). 6-OHDA and alpha-syn vector were injected bilaterally in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) of adult male Wistar rats; as for PQ delivery, micro-osmotic pumps were implanted in the interscapular region. Motor deficits were observed in all models, with histological analysis of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells in the SNpc revealing a significant loss of DAergic neurons in all animal models. In addition, the alpha-syn animal model also presented a reduction in exploratory activity, and the 6-OHDA and PQ animals displayed a significant increase in both depressive- and anxiety-like behavior. Interestingly, cognitive impairment (working memory) was only observed in the 6-OHDA model. Overall, these PD models are suitable for mimicking the motor symptoms associated to PD, with each encompassing other relevant NMS components of the disorder that may prove beneficial for further studies in PD.

Journal Title

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

Volume

7

Publication Date

1-1-2013

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

11

WOS Identifier

WOS:000327783700001

ISSN

1662-5153

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