Neuroprotective effect of chronic inactivation of the subthalamic nucleus in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease

1. J Neural Transm Suppl. 1999;55:71-7. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-6369-6_7.

Neuroprotective effect of chronic inactivation of the subthalamic nucleus in a
rat model of Parkinson’s disease.

Piallat B(1), Benazzouz A, Benabid AL.

Author information:
(1)Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Préclinique, INSERM U.318, CHU, Grenoble,
France.

Several evidences showed that glutamate can be implicated in the degenerative
process of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease. The treatment with NMDA
antagonists have been shown to induce a neuroprotective effect in animal models
of this disease. As subthalamic nucleus neurons send direct glutamatergic
projections to the substantia nigra, we studied the effects of kainic acid
lesion of this nucleus on the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons induced by
microinjection of 6-hydroxydopamine in the striatum of rat done one week after
the first lesion. Animals were killed 15 days after the injection of
6-hydroxydopamine. Immunohistochemical study showed that lesion of the
subthalamic nucleus can prevent the degeneration of substantia nigra
dopaminergic somata when carried out one week prior to 6-hydroxydopamine
injection in the striatum. Nevertheless neurochemical results showed that this
lesion did not antagonize the striatal 6-hydroxydopamine-induced dopamine
depletion in the striatum 15 days after 6-hydroxydopamine injection.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-7091-6369-6_7
PMID: 10335494 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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