Nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways involved in cognitive emotional behavior alterations in a parkinsonism model

CHAMPARINI LEANDRO GABRIEL; MOLINA VICTOR ALEJANDRO; CALFA GASTÓN DIEGO; HERRERA MACARENA LORENA; HEREÑÚ CLAUDIA BEATRIZ

Jornada; XXXV Annual Meeting of the Argentinian Society for Neuroscience Research; 2020

Sociedad Argentina de Neurociencias

Parkinson?s disease (PD) is the second most commonneurodegenerative disease, characterized by a progressive loss ofdopaminergic (DA) neurons. This disease affects 2% of the populationover 65 years, thus being a true reflection of the vulnerability of this kindof neurons associated with age. Although the etiology of this diseaseremains still in discussion, there is a consensus regarding the processesthat account for the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. DA neuronsare particularly sensitive to 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), an oxidizabledopamine analog known for its specific neurotoxic effects oncatecholamine neurons. Intra-striatal 6-OHDA administration is widelyused to induce models of Parkinson's disease in rodents.Although PD is widely known as a movement disorder, there is a broadspectrum of Non-Motor Symptoms (NMS). There is evidence ofemotional and cognitive dysfunctions, which may precede the onset ofmotor PD symptoms. Moreover, in most cases the progress ofpsychiatric alterations related to PD culminates in dementia. Severalanimal models of parkinsonism focus on motor symptoms. However,NMS represent a novelty area of study in the neuroscience field. Themain goal of our work was to assess cognitive emotional behavioralchanges in a parkinsonism model induced by 6-OHDA and evaluatedifferent dopamine cell changes in brain structures involved in thesebehaviors.