Parkinson's Disease Flashcards
Name the 3 main categories of PD symptoms
Premotor
Motor
Postmotor
Name the premotor symptoms of PD
Depression
Loss of olfaction
REM sleep disorder
Name the motor symptoms of PD
Bradykinesia
Rigidity
Resting tremor
Masked face
Name the postmotor symptoms of PD
Dementia
Visual hallucinations
What are the two main pathologies seen in PD?
Progressive loss of DAergic neurons in SNpc
Lewy bodies in remaining SN neurons
What are the 2 main treatment types for PD currently?
Deep brain stimulation
Drugs
Which drugs are currently used to treat PD?
L-Dopa
MAOB/COMT inhibitors
DA agonists
Through which brain areas do LBs spread?
Brainstem -> midbrain via SN -> cerebral cortex
Where in the periphery can LBs be found in PD?
Enteric neurons
Vagus nerve
Autonomic ganglia
What is the main component of LBs?
Alpha-synuclein
What is incidental LB disease?
LBs mainly in brainstem
Mild DAergic neuronal loss
Clinically normal
Diagnosed postmortem - could be presymptomatic PD
What are the 3 main types of PD risk factors?
Increased age
Environment
Genetics
Name 5 genes that increase familial PD risk
SNCA Parkin PINK1 LRRK2 GBA
Name 2 environmental factors that increase PD disease risk
Living near metal alloy industries
Well water drinking
Name 2 environmental factors that decrease PD disease risk
Smoking
Coffee drinking
What is the effect of MPTP?
Destroys SN DAergic neurons
Causes permanent Parkinsonian symptoms
What is the physiological function of alpha-synuclein?
Unknown
What is the effect of alpha-synuclein KO in mice?
Fairly normal
Altered DA release
Some neuronal dysfunction
Name an autosomal dominant cause of PD
SNCA
What is the effect of an SNCA locus duplication?
3 copies of gene - increased alpha-syn
PD development in 40s
What is the effect of an SNCA locus triplication?
4 copies of gene - greatly increased alpha-syn
PD development in 30s
What are the steps of alpha-synuclein aggregation?
Soluble monomer (normal/B-sheet-rich) Soluble oligomer (normal/B-sheet-rich) Protofibril Fibril LB (inclusion/aggregate)
Which alpha-synuclein species are thought to be toxic?
Soluble oligomers
Protofibrils
What is the effect of transplanting foetal tissue into PD patients and what could explain this?
LBs form in graft
Could be LB transmission - could be host environment causes dysfunction in graft causing alpha-syn aggregation
What are the structures of the normal and mutant alpha-synuclein monomers?
Normal - alpha-helices
Mutant - beta-sheets
What is permissive templating?
Exposing normal alpha-syn to misfolded B-sheet alpha-syn decreases energy required for normal protein unfolding
Increases chance of refolding
Increases chance of aggregate formation
Name 3 ways in which alpha-syn can be transferred between cells
Exosomes
Free in solution
Tunneling nanotubes
What is the effect of DA on alpha-synuclein?
Causes protofibril formation
How does MPTP cause parkinsonism?
Uncharged - crosses BBB
Metabolised to MPP+ - substrate for DAT - uptake into DAergic neurons
Opposite charge to -ve mito matrix - crosses mito membrane
Inhibits complex I function
Decreases ATP production, increases ROS (oxi stress)
DAergic neuron death
How does alpha-synuclein interact with lysosome functioning?
Alpha-syn degraded by chaperone-mediated autophagy
Alpha-syn aggregates removed by macroautophagy
How is mitochondrial function altered in idiopathic PD patients?
Decreased complex I activity
In SN tissue, platelet mitochondria
Which mitochondrial ageing phenomenon is further increased in PD SN neurons?
Higher mtDNA levels with deletion
How is the sensitivity of DAergic SN neurons to mitochondrial respiratory chain toxins altered in PD and why might this be?
Increased
Could be due to oxidative stress
Could be due to defective degradation of damaged mitos - due to autophagy/lysosome defects
What is the overall role of parkin and PINK1?
Prevent fusion back of damaged mitos fragmented by fission
Why might DAergic neurons be so vulnerable to mitochondrial dysfunction in PD?
High spontaneous burst/pacemaking activity - high energy demands
High Ca2+ fluxes - more vulnerable to Ca2+ dysregulation
How might alpha-synuclein affect mito function?
Inhibit mitochondrial respiratory chain - possibly complex I