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Functions of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic synapse and the use of neurotransplantation in Parkinson’s disease

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Abstract

While pharmaceutical options remain the overwhelmingly accepted treatment of choice for neurological and psychiatric diseases, significant accomplishments in regenerative neuroscience research have demonstrated the potential of cellular and synaptic functional repair in future therapies. Parkinson’s disease stands out as an example in which repair by dopaminergic neurons appears a viable potential therapy. This article describes the basic neurobiological underpinnings of the rationale for cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease and the challenges ahead for the use of regenerative medicine in the treatment for this disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oxford Medical School, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK

    Alex Tsui

  2. Harvard University Neuroregeneration Laboratories, McLean Hospital, MRC130, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, USA

    Alex Tsui & Ole Isacson

  3. Corpus Christi College, Merton Street, Oxford, OX14JF, UK

    Alex Tsui

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  1. Alex Tsui
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  2. Ole Isacson
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Tsui, A., Isacson, O. Functions of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic synapse and the use of neurotransplantation in Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol 258, 1393–1405 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-011-6061-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-011-6061-6

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