Neuroprotective treatments in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive disease due to dopaminergic cell loss in the substantia nigra and dopaminergic terminal lost in the striatum, which is the projection area of substantia nigra. It is characterized by resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability. In PD, non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment, anhedonia, apathy, and autonomic nervous system impairments affect quality of life as much as motor symptoms. PD may affect multiple systems and the underlying mechanisms are not known. However, developing new methods of treatment to slow or stop the rate of disease progression, to lessen or to cure the symptoms is crucial. The aim of this review was to discuss the alternative treatments that may be useful for both motor and non-motor symptoms. Symptomatic treatments with dopaminergic drugs aim to relieve motor symptoms and to increase the patient’s life standards for a limited time. However, possible neuroprotective treatments that inhibit neuronal cell death can extend life span and provide higher quality of life. Lewy bodies, which are formed mainly from misfolded and native alpha-synuclein protein, is a pathologic hallmark of PD. Therefore, inhibiting the protein misfolding or clearing the aggregates could be a promising new therapeutic approach for the disease.