A Multi-Scale Computational Model of Excitotoxic Loss of Dopaminergic Cells in Parkinson's Disease.

ABSTRACT: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Although the exact cause of cell death is not clear, the hypothesis that metabolic deficiency is a key factor has been gaining attention in recent years. In the present study, we investigated this hypothesis using a multi-scale computational model of the subsystem of the basal ganglia comprising the subthalamic nucleus (STN), globus pallidus externa (GPe), and SNc. The proposed model is a multiscale model in that interaction among the three nuclei are simulated using more abstract Izhikevich neuron models, while the molecular pathways involved in cell death of SNc neurons are simulated in terms of detailed chemical kinetics. Simulation results obtained fr

SUBMITTER: Muddapu VR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7555610 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature