Optogenetic stimulation of glutamatergic neurons in the cuneiform nucleus controls locomotion in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

ABSTRACT: In Parkinson's disease (PD), the loss of midbrain dopaminergic cells results in severe locomotor deficits, such as gait freezing and akinesia. Growing evidence indicates that these deficits can be attributed to the decreased activity in the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), a brainstem region controlling locomotion. Clinicians are exploring the deep brain stimulation of the MLR as a treatment option to improve locomotor function. The results are variable, from modest to promising. However, within the MLR, clinicians have targeted the pedunculopontine nucleus exclusively, while leaving the cuneiform nucleus unexplored. To our knowledge, the effects of cuneiform nucleus stimulation have never been determined in parkinsonian conditions in any animal model. Here, we addressed this issue in

SUBMITTER: Fougere M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8639376 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature