Chapter 9 - Non-human Primate Models of Parkinson's Disease and Experimental Therapeutics

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the nonhuman primate models of Parkinson's disease and experimental therapeutics. The nonhuman primate model serves as an important model for understanding the pathophysiology of the basal ganglia, evaluating new treatment modalities for neurodegenerative disorders affecting this region, especially Parkinson's disease (PD). It provides a valuable tool for discovery of new therapeutic targets that may lead to a cure for PD. The nonhuman primate model generated through either neurotoxicant or surgical lesioning has been most commonly used for experimental therapeutic studies in PD, in particular for identifying new symptomatic strategies primarily targeting the dopaminergic system, as well as those neurotransmitter systems known to modulate dopamine. The model is extremely valuable in providing important insights into the pathophysiology and treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia, a disabling complication of long-term levodopa use in PD. This chapter begins with a discussion on assessment of motor behavior in nonhuman primate models of PD. It explains nonmotor features in MPTP-leasioned nonhuman primates in detail. The MPTP-lesioned nonhuman primate model is also reviewed in the chapter. The chapter concludes with a discussion on electrophysiological studies of basal ganglia function in the nonhuman primate model of PD.