Great post by Simon questioning using mice flies and snails who do not get Parkinson's to test new theories, reinforcing antioxidants

[parkie13]

scienceofparkinsons.com/201...

And calcium channel blockers

[saraoutwest]

Also comments of the possible problems with LDopa. Groan! I can't keep up with all this research it's fraustrating and confusing.

[aspergerian]

The essay seems to convey that although animal models can be provide insights about human physiology, findings from animal models do not necessarily apply to humans. The essay mentions neuromelanin, which is found in both the locus coeruleus and substantia nigra in humans.

Neuromelanin in parkinsonian disorders: an update.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/284...

Neuromelanin (NM) is a dark pigment that accumulates linearly with aging

in substantia nigra (SN) and locus coeruleus (LC). The dual protective

and toxic role of NM has been hypothesized according to its

intraneuronal or extraneuronal deposition. The melanized dopaminergic

neurons in SN and LC seem to have special vulnerability to

neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Organization of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system.

cell.com/current-biology/fu...

Differentiation of early-stage parkinsonisms using neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/247...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the signal

intensity of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and locus

coeruleus (LC) on neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging

(MRI) can discriminate early-stage parkinsonism disorders, for which

differential diagnosis is generally difficult.

CONCLUSIONS: Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI can depict differences in signal

intensity of the lateral SNc and the LC among the parkinsonism

disorders at their early stages.

Reproducibility of locus coeruleus and substantia nigra imaging with neuromelanin sensitive MRI.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/276...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the reproducibility

of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and locus coeruleus (LC)

delineation and measurement with neuromelanin-sensitive MRI.

RESULTS: SNpc and LC volume measurements showed excellent

reproducibility (SNpc-ICC: 0.94, p < 0.001; LC-ICC: 0.96, p <

0.001). SNpc and LC were accurately delineated between scans (SNpc-DSC:

0.80 ± 0.03; LC-DSC: 0.63 ± 0.07).

CONCLUSION: Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI can consistently delineate SNpc and LC.