scholarly journals Aging of the Nigrostriatal Pathway in Humans

Author(s):  
Donald B. Calne ◽  
R.F. Peppard

ABSTRACT:Progressive degeneration of functionally related groups of neurons occurs in certain infective, toxic, nutritional and genetically determined neurological diseases. It also takes place in normal aging, and several of the regions that undergo selective decay with the passage of time seem to be the same target regions that are afflicted in degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Infective etiology is relatively easy to exclude by a combination of immunological tests and transfer experiments. Genetic causation can be rendered unlikely when large kindreds are available for study. Nutritional deprivation and acute or subacute toxicity are accessible to explanation by examining the environment. The most difficult mechanism of pathogenesis to refute is chronic toxic damage, where the lesion may derive from long-term exposure to a relatively widespread noxious agent or agents. Variations in involvement of individuals within a population may stem from differing capacities to activate or inactivate a toxin. Inherent in this concept of etiology is recognition that compensatory potential within the central nervous system may contribute to prolonged existence of subclinical lesions so that a latent period may exist for several decades, between causal event and the onset of symptoms. Furthermore, progressive clinical deterioration may take place even though the cause may have been transient, many years before. The histological features associated with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and ALS may be nonspecific indicators of neuronal “illness”, there being a predilection for certain morphological markers to appear more frequently in particular circumstances and particular regions associated with the pathology of particular diseases.

Author(s):  
Mohammad Zamanian ◽  
Małgorzata Kujawska ◽  
Marjan Nikbakht Zadeh ◽  
Amin Hassanshahi ◽  
Soudeh Ramezanpour ◽  
...  

Background & objective: Neurological diseases are becoming a significant problem worldwide, with the elderly at a higher risk of being affected. Several researchers have investigated the neuroprotective effects of Carvacrol (CAR) (5-isopropyl-2-methyl phenol). This review systematically surveys the existing literature on the impact of CAR when used as a neuroprotective agent in neurological diseases. Methods: The systematic review involved English articles published in the last ten years obtained from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. The following descriptors were used to search the literature: “Carvacrol” [Title] AND “neuroprotective (neuroprotection)” [Title] OR “stroke, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, seizure, epilepsy [Title]. Results: : A total of 208 articles were retrieved during the search process, but only 20 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included for review. A total of 20 articles were identified, in which the efficacy of CAR was described in experimental models of stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, , epilepsy, and seizure, through motor deficits improvements in neurochemical activity, especially antioxidant systems, reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis as well as inhibition of TRPC1 and TRPM7. Conclusion : The data presented in this study support the beneficial impact of CAR on behavioural and neurochemical deficits. CAR benefits accrue because of its anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, CAR has emerged as an alternative treatment for neurological disorders based on its properties.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 88-92
Author(s):  
Neha Binjhade ◽  
Vinanti Supare ◽  
Shailesh Ghaywat ◽  
Sagar Trivedi ◽  
Kamlesh Wadher ◽  
...  

Agmatine, a natural polyamine disregarded almost for over 100 years, was discovered in year 1910. Almost after a decade, several researches on Agmatine indicated its modulatory action at multiple molecular targets such as, nitric oxide synthesis, neurotransmitter systems, and polyamine metabolism unbolt the new avenues for extensive therapeutic applications which includes neurotrauma and neurodegenerative diseases, antidepressant, cognitive disorders. Agmatine exerts its varied biological characteristics and therapeutic potential in diverse arena. Agmatine has been extensively researched for its neuroprotective effect in various types of neurological diseases, including stroke and trauma brain injury along with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Hypoxia /Ischemia. In the present review we have summarized the therapeutic potential of agmatine as protective and regenerative properties in the CNS. Keywords: Agmatine, Neuroprotective, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, CNS disorders.


2021 ◽  
pp. jnnp-2020-324606
Author(s):  
Francisco P M Oliveira ◽  
Zuzana Walker ◽  
Rodney W H Walker ◽  
Johannes Attems ◽  
Joana C Castanheira ◽  
...  

PurposeThe aim of this study was to re-evaluate the differentiation of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) using a quantitative analysis of 123I-FP-CIT SPECT scans.MethodsThirty-six patients with in vivo 123I-FP-CIT SPECT and neuropathological diagnoses were included. Based on neuropathological criteria, patients were further subclassified into nine AD, eight DLB, ten PD and nine with other diagnoses. An additional 16 healthy controls (HC) scanned with 123I-FP-CIT SPECT were also included. All images were visually assessed as normal versus abnormal uptake by consensus of five nuclear medicine physicians. Bihemispheric mean was calculated for caudate binding potential (CBP), putamen binding potential (PBP) and putamen-to-caudate ratio (PCR).ResultsPatients with DLB had significantly lower CBP and PBP than patients with AD and significantly higher PCR than patients with PD. Qualitative visual analysis of the images gave an accuracy of 88% in the evaluation of the status of the nigrostriatal pathway considering all individuals, and 96% considering only the patients with PD, AD and DLB. Quantitative analyses provided a balanced accuracy of 94%, 94% and 100% in binary classifications DLB versus AD, DLB versus PD and PD versus AD, respectively, and an accuracy of 93% in the differentiation among patients with DLB, AD and PD simultaneously. No statistically significant differences were observed between the AD and HC.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates a very high diagnostic accuracy of the quantitative analysis of(123I-FP-CIT SPECT data to differentiate among patients with DLB, PD and AD.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2381
Author(s):  
Alexandra Boyd ◽  
Sarah Byrne ◽  
Ryan J. Middleton ◽  
Richard B. Banati ◽  
Guo-Jun Liu

Microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system, play a pivotal role in the modulation of neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation has been implicated in many diseases of the CNS, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It is well documented that microglial activation, initiated by a variety of stressors, can trigger a potentially destructive neuroinflammatory response via the release of pro-inflammatory molecules, and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. However, the potential anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects that microglia are also thought to exhibit have been under-investigated. The application of ionising radiation at different doses and dose schedules may reveal novel methods for the control of microglial response to stressors, potentially highlighting avenues for treatment of neuroinflammation associated CNS disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. There remains a need to characterise the response of microglia to radiation, particularly low dose ionising radiation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 628-646
Author(s):  
Gülcem Altinoglu ◽  
Terin Adali

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and is part of a massive and growing health care burden that is destroying the cognitive function of more than 50 million individuals worldwide. Today, therapeutic options are limited to approaches with mild symptomatic benefits. The failure in developing effective drugs is attributed to, but not limited to the highly heterogeneous nature of AD with multiple underlying hypotheses and multifactorial pathology. In addition, targeted drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS), for the diagnosis and therapy of neurological diseases like AD, is restricted by the challenges posed by blood-brain interfaces surrounding the CNS, limiting the bioavailability of therapeutics. Research done over the last decade has focused on developing new strategies to overcome these limitations and successfully deliver drugs to the CNS. Nanoparticles, that are capable of encapsulating drugs with sustained drug release profiles and adjustable physiochemical properties, can cross the protective barriers surrounding the CNS. Thus, nanotechnology offers new hope for AD treatment as a strong alternative to conventional drug delivery mechanisms. In this review, the potential application of nanoparticle based approaches in Alzheimer’s disease and their implications in therapy is discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 758-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadga Raj ◽  
Pooja Chawla ◽  
Shamsher Singh

: Tramadol is a synthetic analog of codeine used to treat pain of moderate to severe intensity and is reported to have neurotoxic potential. At therapeutic dose, tramadol does not cause major side effects in comparison to other opioid analgesics, and is useful for the management of neurological problems like anxiety and depression. Long term utilization of tramadol is associated with various neurological disorders like seizures, serotonin syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Tramadol produces seizures through inhibition of nitric oxide, serotonin reuptake and inhibitory effects on GABA receptors. Extensive tramadol intake alters redox balance through elevating lipid peroxidation and free radical leading to neurotoxicity and produces neurobehavioral deficits. During Alzheimer’s disease progression, low level of intracellular signalling molecules like cGMP, cAMP, PKC and PKA affect both learning and memory. Pharmacologically tramadol produces actions similar to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), increasing the concentration of serotonin, which causes serotonin syndrome. In addition, tramadol also inhibits GABAA receptors in the CNS has been evidenced to interfere with dopamine synthesis and release, responsible for motor symptoms. The reduced level of dopamine may produce bradykinesia and tremors which are chief motor abnormalities in Parkinson’s Disease (PD).


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