Parkinson’s Disease: Mechanisms, Pathogenesis, Animal Models and Tests

Abstract

Parkinsonism is a progressive brain disorder characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, akinesia, and loss of postural reflexes. The pathologic feature of Parkinson's disease, basically known as a movement disorder, is the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, one of the main components of basal ganglia, and accumulation of alpha-synuclein called intracellular protein aggregates (Lewy bodies) in surviving neurons. There are several reasons for the disease, among which genetic factors and various toxins are noted. Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and in our country that occurs in association with advanced age with the increase in life expectancy. In this review, the formation mechanism of the disease, Parkinson's tests, and methods used in experimental modeling will be discussed.