Terminal Degeneration Research Articles

Animal presynaptic neurotoxins provide a relevant novel model of moto axon terminal degeneration followed by regeneration

Animal presynaptic neurotoxins provide a relevant novel model of moto axon terminal degeneration followed by regeneration

Vascular-directed responses of microglia produced by methamphetamine exposure: indirect evidence that microglia are involved in vascular repair?

BackgroundBrain microglial activations and damage responses are most commonly associated with neurodegeneration or systemic innate immune system activation. Here, we used histological methods to focus on microglial responses that are directed towards brain vasculature, previously undescribed, after a neurotoxic exposure to methamphetamine.MethodsMale rats were given doses of methamphetamine that produce pronounced hyperthermia, hypertension, and toxicity. Identification of microglia and microglia-like cells (pericytes and possibly perivascular cells) was done using immunoreactivity to allograft inflammatory factor 1 (Aif1 a.k.a Iba1) and alpha M integrin (Itgam a.k.a. Cd11b) while vasculature endothelium was identified using rat endothelial cell antigen 1 (RECA-1). Regions of neuronal, axonal, and nerve terminal degeneration were determined using Fluoro-Jade C.ResultsDual labeling of vasculature (RECA-1) and microglia (Iba1) showed a strong association of hypertrophied cells surrounding and juxtaposed to vasculature in the septum, medial dorsal hippocampus, piriform cortex, and thalamus. The Iba1 labeling was more pronounced in the cell body while Cd11b more so in the processes of activated microglia. These regions have been previously identified to have vascular leakage after neurotoxic methamphetamine exposure. Dual labeling with Fluoro-Jade C and Iba1 indicated that there was minimal or no evidence of neuronal damage in the septum and hippocampus where many hypertrophied Iba1-labeled cells were found to be associated with vasculature. Although microglial activation around the prominent neurodegeneration was found in the thalamus, there were also many examples of activated microglia associated with vasculature.ConclusionsThe data implicate microglia, and possibly related cell types, in playing a major role in responding to methamphetamine-induced vascular damage, and possibly repair, in the absence of neurodegeneration. Identifying brain regions with hypertrophied/activated microglial-like cells associated with vasculature has the potential for identifying regions of more subtle examples of vascular damage and BBB compromise.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12974-016-0526-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Preclinical Research Progress of Stem Cells Therapy in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a type of degenerative disorder of the basal ganglia, causing tremor at rest, muscle rigidity hypokinesia, and dementia. The effectiveness of drug treatments gradually diminishes because the conversion to dopamine within the brain is increasingly disrupted by the progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic terminals. After long-term treatment, most patients with PD suffer from disability that cannot be satisfactorily controlled. To solve these issues, stem cells have recently been used for cell therapy of PD. In this review, the characteristics of different stem cells and their therapeutic effects on PD treatment will be discussed.

Epothilone D prevents binge methamphetamine-mediated loss of striatal dopaminergic markers.

Exposure to binge methamphetamine (METH) can result in a permanent or transient loss of dopaminergic (DAergic) markers such as dopamine (DA), dopamine transporter, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the striatum. We hypothesized that the METH-induced loss of striatal DAergic markers was, in part, due to a destabilization of microtubules (MTs) in the nigrostriatal DA pathway that ultimately impedes anterograde axonal transport of these markers. To test this hypothesis, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with binge METH or saline in the presence or absence of epothilone D (EpoD), a MT-stabilizing compound, and assessed 3 days after the treatments for the levels of several DAergic markers as well as for the levels of tubulins and their post-translational modifications (PMTs). Binge METH induced a loss of stable long-lived MTs within the striatum but not within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Treatment with a low dose of EpoD increased the levels of markers of stable MTs and prevented METH-mediated deficits in several DAergic markers in the striatum. In contrast, administration of a high dose of EpoD appeared to destabilize MTs and potentiated the METH-induced deficits in several DAergic markers. The low-dose EpoD also prevented the METH-induced increase in striatal DA turnover and increased behavioral stereotypy during METH treatment. Together, these results demonstrate that MT dynamics plays a role in the development of METH-induced losses of several DAergic markers in the striatum and may mediate METH-induced degeneration of terminals in the nigrostriatal DA pathway. Our study also demonstrates that MT-stabilizing drugs such as EpoD have a potential to serve as useful therapeutic agents to restore function of DAergic nerve terminals following METH exposure when administered at low doses. Administration of binge methamphetamine (METH) negatively impacts neurotransmission in the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) system. The effects of METH include decreasing the levels of DAergic markers in the striatum. We have determined that high-dose METH destabilizes microtubules in this pathway, which is manifested by decreased levels of acetylated (Acetyl) and detyrosinated (Detyr) α-tubulin (I). A microtubule stabilizing agent epothilone D protects striatal microtubules form the METH-induced loss of DAergic markers (II). These findings provide a new strategy for protection form METH - restoration of proper axonal transport.

Snake and Spider Toxins Induce a Rapid Recovery of Function of Botulinum Neurotoxin Paralysed Neuromuscular Junction.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) and some animal neurotoxins (β-Bungarotoxin, β-Btx, from elapid snakes and α-Latrotoxin, α-Ltx, from black widow spiders) are pre-synaptic neurotoxins that paralyse motor axon terminals with similar clinical outcomes in patients. However, their mechanism of action is different, leading to a largely-different duration of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) blockade. BoNTs induce a long-lasting paralysis without nerve terminal degeneration acting via proteolytic cleavage of SNARE proteins, whereas animal neurotoxins cause an acute and complete degeneration of motor axon terminals, followed by a rapid recovery. In this study, the injection of animal neurotoxins in mice muscles previously paralyzed by BoNT/A or /B accelerates the recovery of neurotransmission, as assessed by electrophysiology and morphological analysis. This result provides a proof of principle that, by causing the complete degeneration, reabsorption, and regeneration of a paralysed nerve terminal, one could favour the recovery of function of a biochemically- or genetically-altered motor axon terminal. These observations might be relevant to dying-back neuropathies, where pathological changes first occur at the neuromuscular junction and then progress proximally toward the cell body.

Altered terminal Schwann cell morphology precedes denervation in SOD1 mice

In mice that express SOD1 mutations found in human motor neuron disease, degeneration begins in the periphery for reasons that remain unknown. At the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), terminal Schwann cells (TSCs) have an intimate relationship with motor terminals and are believed to help maintain the integrity of the motor terminal. Recent evidence indicates that TSCs in some SOD1 mice exhibit abnormal functional properties, but other aspects of possible TSC involvement remain unknown. In this study, an analysis of TSC morphology and number was performed in relation to NMJ innervation status in mice which express the G93A SOD1 mutation. At P30, all NMJs of the fast medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle were fully innervated by a single motor axon but 50% of NMJs lacked TSC cell bodies and were instead covered by the processes of Schwann cells with cell bodies located on the preterminal axons. NMJs in P30 slow soleus muscles were also fully innervated by single motor axons and only 5% of NMJs lacked a TSC cell body. At P60, about 25% of MG NMJs were denervated and lacked labeling for TSCs while about 60% of innervated NMJs lacked TSC cell bodies. In contrast, 96% of P60 soleus NMJs were innervated while 9% of innervated NMJs lacked TSC cell bodies. The pattern of TSC abnormalities found at P30 thus correlates with the pattern of denervation found at P60. Evidence from mice that express the G85R SOD1 mutation indicate that TSC abnormalities are not unique for mice that express G93A SOD1 mutations. These results add to an emerging understanding that TSCs may play a role in motor terminal degeneration and denervation in animal models of motor neuron disease.

Ubiquitin-Synaptobrevin Fusion Protein Causes Degeneration of Presynaptic Motor Terminals in Mice.

Degeneration of motor nerve terminals occurs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients as well as in mouse models of ALS, leading to progressive paralysis. What causes a motor nerve terminal to degenerate remains unknown. Here we report on transgenic mice expressing a ubiquitinated synaptic vesicle protein (Ub(G76V)-GFP-Syb2) that develop progressive degeneration of motor nerve terminals. These mice may serve as a model for further elucidating the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of presynaptic nerve terminal degeneration.

Manganese-Induced Parkinsonism Is Not Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease: Environmental and Genetic Evidence.

Movement abnormalities caused by chronic manganese (Mn) intoxication clinically resemble but are not identical to those in idiopathic Parkinson's disease. In fact, the most successful parkinsonian drug treatment, the dopamine precursor levodopa, is ineffective in alleviating Mn-induced motor symptoms, implying that parkinsonism in Mn-exposed individuals may not be linked to midbrain dopaminergic neuron cell loss. Over the last decade, supporting evidence from human and nonhuman primates has emerged that Mn-induced parkinsonism partially results from damage to basal ganglia nuclei of the striatal "direct pathway" (ie, the caudate/putamen, internal globus pallidus, and substantia nigra pars reticulata) and a marked inhibition of striatal dopamine release in the absence of nigrostriatal dopamine terminal degeneration. Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed similar findings in a particular group of young drug users intravenously injecting the Mn-containing psychostimulant ephedron and in individuals with inherited mutations of the Mn transporter gene SLC30A10. This review will provide a detailed discussion about the aforementioned studies, followed by a comparison with their rodent analogs and idiopathic parkinsonism. Together, these findings in combination with a limited knowledge about the underlying neuropathology of Mn-induced parkinsonism strongly support the need for a more complete understanding of the neurotoxic effects of Mn on basal ganglia function to uncover the appropriate cellular and molecular therapeutic targets for this disorder.

Recovery of dopamine transporters with methamphetamine detoxification is not linked to changes in dopamine release

Methamphetamine's widepread abuse and concerns that it might increase Parkinson's disease led us to assess if the reported loss of dopamine transporters (DAT) in methamphetamine abusers (MA) reflected damage to dopamine neurons. Using PET with [11C]cocaine to measure DAT, and with [11C]raclopride to measure dopamine release (assessed as changes in specific binding of [11C]raclopride between placebo and methylphenidate), which was used as a marker of dopamine neuronal function, we show that MA (n=16), tested during early detoxification, had lower DAT (20–30%) but overall normal DA release in striatum (except for a small decrease in left putamen), when compared to controls (n=15). In controls, DAT were positively correlated with DA release (higher DAT associated with larger DA increases), consistent with DAT serving as markers of DA terminals. In contrast, MA showed a trend for a negative correlation (p=0.07) (higher DAT associated with lower DA increases), consistent with reduced DA re-uptake following DAT downregulation. MA who remained abstinent nine-months later (n=9) showed significant increases in DAT (20%) but methylphenidate-induced dopamine increases did not change. In contrast, in controls, DAT did not change when retested 9months later but methylphenidate-induced dopamine increases in ventral striatum were reduced (p=0.05). Baseline D2/D3 receptors in caudate were lower in MA than in controls and did not change with detoxification, nor did they change in the controls upon retest. The loss of DAT in the MA, which was not associated with a concomitant reduction in dopamine release as would have been expected if DAT loss reflected DA terminal degneration; as well as the recovery of DAT after protracted detoxification, which was not associated with increased dopamine release as would have been expected if DAT increases reflected terminal regeneration, indicate that the loss of DAT in these MA does not reflect degeneration of dopamine terminals.

Alpha-Synuclein affects neurite morphology, autophagy, vesicle transport and axonal degeneration in CNS neurons.

Many neuropathological and experimental studies suggest that the degeneration of dopaminergic terminals and axons precedes the demise of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, which finally results in the clinical symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD). The mechanisms underlying this early axonal degeneration are, however, still poorly understood. Here, we examined the effects of overexpression of human wildtype alpha-synuclein (αSyn-WT), a protein associated with PD, and its mutant variants αSyn-A30P and -A53T on neurite morphology and functional parameters in rat primary midbrain neurons (PMN). Moreover, axonal degeneration after overexpression of αSyn-WT and -A30P was analyzed by live imaging in the rat optic nerve in vivo. We found that overexpression of αSyn-WT and of its mutants A30P and A53T impaired neurite outgrowth of PMN and affected neurite branching assessed by Sholl analysis in a variant-dependent manner. Surprisingly, the number of primary neurites per neuron was increased in neurons transfected with αSyn. Axonal vesicle transport was examined by live imaging of PMN co-transfected with EGFP-labeled synaptophysin. Overexpression of all αSyn variants significantly decreased the number of motile vesicles and decelerated vesicle transport compared with control. Macroautophagic flux in PMN was enhanced by αSyn-WT and -A53T but not by αSyn-A30P. Correspondingly, colocalization of αSyn and the autophagy marker LC3 was reduced for αSyn-A30P compared with the other αSyn variants. The number of mitochondria colocalizing with LC3 as a marker for mitophagy did not differ among the groups. In the rat optic nerve, both αSyn-WT and -A30P accelerated kinetics of acute axonal degeneration following crush lesion as analyzed by in vivo live imaging. We conclude that αSyn overexpression impairs neurite outgrowth and augments axonal degeneration, whereas axonal vesicle transport and autophagy are severely altered.

Selective expression of Parkinson's disease-related Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 G2019S missense mutation in midbrain dopaminergic neurons impairs dopamine release and dopaminergic gene expression.

Preferential dysfunction/degeneration of midbrain substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) dopaminergic (DA) neurons contributes to the main movement symptoms manifested in Parkinson's disease (PD). Although the Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) G2019S missense mutation (LRRK2 G2019S) is the most common causative genetic factor linked to PD, the effects of LRRK2 G2019S on the function and survival of SNpc DA neurons are poorly understood. Using a binary gene expression system, we generated transgenic mice expressing either wild-type human LRRK2 (WT mice) or the LRRK2 G2019S mutation (G2019S mice) selectively in the midbrain DA neurons. Here we show that overexpression of LRRK2 G2019S did not induce overt motor abnormalities or substantial SNpc DA neuron loss. However, the LRRK2 G2019S mutation impaired dopamine homeostasis and release in aged mice. This reduction in dopamine content/release coincided with the degeneration of DA axon terminals and decreased expression of DA neuron-enriched genes tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), vesicular monoamine transporter 2, dopamine transporter and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1. These factors are responsible for dopamine synthesis, transport and degradation, and their expression is regulated by transcription factor paired-like homeodomain 3 (PITX3). Levels of Pitx3 mRNA and protein were similarly decreased in the SNpc DA neurons of aged G2019S mice. Together, these findings suggest that PITX3-dependent transcription regulation could be one of the many potential mechanisms by which LRRK2 G2019S acts in SNpc DA neurons, resulting in downregulation of its downstream target genes critical for dopamine homeostasis and release.

Alpha-Synuclein Pathology in Sensory Nerve Terminals of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract of Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Dysphagia is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and causes significant morbidity and mortality. PD dysphagia has usually been explained as dysfunction of central motor control, much like other motor symptoms that are characteristic of the disease. However, PD dysphagia does not correlate with severity of motor symptoms nor does it respond to motor therapies. It is known that PD patients have sensory deficits in the pharynx, and that impaired sensation may contribute to dysphagia. However, the underlying cause of the pharyngeal sensory deficits in PD is not known. We hypothesized that PD dysphagia with sensory deficits may be due to degeneration of the sensory nerve terminals in the upper aerodigestive tract (UAT). We have previously shown that Lewy-type synucleinopathy (LTS) is present in the main pharyngeal sensory nerves of PD patients, but not in controls. In this study, the sensory terminals in UAT mucosa were studied to discern the presence and distribution of LTS. Whole-mount specimens (tongue-pharynx-larynx-upper esophagus) were obtained from 10 deceased human subjects with clinically diagnosed and neuropathologically confirmed PD (five with dysphagia and five without) and four age-matched healthy controls. Samples were taken from six sites and immunostained for phosphorylated α-synuclein (PAS). The results showed the presence of PAS-immunoreactive (PAS-ir) axons in all the PD subjects and in none of the controls. Notably, PD patients with dysphagia had more PAS-ir axons in the regions that are critical for initiating the swallowing reflex. These findings suggest that Lewy pathology affects mucosal sensory axons in specific regions of the UAT and may be related to PD dysphagia.

Neuroaxonal dystrophy in PLA2G6 knockout mice.

The PLA2G6 gene encodes group VIA calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2 β), which belongs to the PLA2 superfamily that hydrolyses the sn-2 ester bond in phospholipids. In the nervous system, iPLA2 β is essential for remodeling membrane phospholipids in axons and synapses. Mutated PLA2G6 causes PLA2G6-associated neurodegeneration (PLAN) including infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) and adult-onset dystonia-parkinsonism (PARK14), which have unique clinical phenotypes. In the PLA2G6 knockout (KO) mouse, which is an excellent PLAN model, specific membrane degeneration takes place in neurons and their axons, and this is followed by axonal spheroid formation. These pathological findings are similar to those in PLAN. This review details the evidence that membrane degeneration of mitochondria and axon terminals is a precursor to spheroid formation in this disease model. From a young age before the onset, many mitochondria with damaged inner membranes appear in PLA2G6 KO mouse neurons. These injured mitochondria move anterogradely within the axons, increasing in the distal axons. As membrane degeneration progresses, the collapse of the double membrane of mitochondria accompanies axonal injury near impaired mitochondria. At the axon terminals, the membranes of the presynapses expand irregularly from a young age. Over time, the presynaptic membrane ruptures, causing axon terminal degeneration. Although these processes occur in different degenerating membranes, both contain tubulovesicular structures, which are a specific ultrastructural marker of INAD. This indicates that two unique types of membrane degeneration underlie PLAN pathology. We have shown a new pathological mechanism whereby axons degenerate due to defective maintenance and rupture of both the inner mitochondrial and presynaptic membranes. This degeneration mechanism could possibly clarify the pathologies of PLAN, Parkinson disease and neurodegeneration with iron accumulation (NBIA), which are assumed to be due to the primary degeneration of axons.

The degeneration of dopaminergic synapses in Parkinson's disease: A selective animal model

Available evidence increasingly suggests that the degeneration of dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease starts in the striatal axons and synaptic terminals. A selective procedure is described here to study the mechanisms involved in the striatal denervation of dopaminergic terminals. This procedure can also be used to analyze mechanisms involved in the dopaminergic re-innervation of the striatum, and the role of astrocytes and microglia in both processes. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were injected in the lateral ventricles with increasing doses of 6-hydroxydopamine (12–50μg), which generated a dose-dependent loss of dopaminergic synapses and axons in the striatum, followed by an axonal sprouting (weeks later) and by a progressive recovery of striatal dopaminergic synapses (months later). Both the degeneration and regeneration of the dopaminergic terminals were accompanied by astrogliosis. Because the experimental manipulations did not induce unspecific damage in the striatal tissue, this method could be particularly suitable to study the basic mechanisms involved in the distal degeneration and regeneration of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons, and the possible role of astrocytes and microglia in the dynamics of both processes.

Overview of Dopamine Transporter Imaging in Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Other Dementias

123I FP-CIT is a radiotracer that is used in conjunction with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning to detect dopaminergic neuron pre-synaptic terminal degeneration, in the striatum (caudate nucleus and putamen) of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), showing a reduced uptake of this ligand by the dopamine transporters (DaT). This is a licensed diagnostic test in Europe (as DaTSCAN) and in the USA (as DaTscan). Recent work on functional imaging in PD and DLB largely uses the FP-CIT SPECT approach, and this is the focus of our paper, whilst noting that other ligands (e.g. beta-CIT) and imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) have been used in similar settings.

Immunohistochemistry of cerebellar seizures: Mossy fiber afferents play an important role in seizure spread and initiation in the rat

Clinical reports suggest the participation of the cerebellum in epilepsy. Mossy fibers are the main excitatory afferents of the cerebellar cortex; most of them use glutamate and strongly excite granule cells through NMDA and AMPA receptors. The role of the ponto-cerebellar mossy fibers in cerebellar neuronal hyperactivity was investigated in the present study in experimental adult Wistar rats. We detected neuronal hyperactivity through the expression of the glutamate-induced c-fos protein, by means of immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting in the vermis and in the hemispheres. Generalized seizures were induced by means of intraperitoneal 4-aminopyridine injections. Following the 4-aminopyridine seizures, the c-fos expression of cerebellar granule cells was significantly elevated at 1.5h in every lobule. Maximum c-fos expression was seen at 3h. The role of the ponto-cerebellar mossy fiber afferents in the induction of c-fos expression was examined after the transection of the middle cerebellar peduncle on the left side. Immunohistochemical analysis 14 days after the surgery revealed that the synapsin I immunoreactivity was significantly reduced in the cerebellar cortex on the operated side, compared to the sham-operated controls and to the non-operated cerebellar hemisphere of the operated animals, indicating the degeneration of mossy fiber terminals. Transection of the middle cerebellar peduncle suppressed cerebellar c-fos expression in the vermis and in the hemispheres significantly. These findings suggest the strong involvement of the middle cerebellar peduncle and the ponto-cerebellar mossy fibers in the pathophysiology of cerebellar epilepsy.

Endomicroscopy and electromyography of neuromuscular junctions in situ.

ObjectiveElectromyography (EMG) is used routinely to diagnose neuromuscular dysfunction in a wide range of peripheral neuropathies, myopathies, and neuromuscular degenerative diseases including motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Definitive neurological diagnosis may also be indicated by the analysis of pathological neuromuscular innervation in motor-point biopsies. Our objective in this study was to preempt motor-point biopsy by combining live imaging with electrophysiological analysis of slow degeneration of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) in vivo.MethodsWe combined conventional needle electromyography with fiber-optic confocal endomicroscopy (CEM), using an integrated hand-held, 1.5-mm-diameter probe. We utilized as a test bed, various axotomized muscles in the hind limbs of anaesthetized, double-homozygous thy1.2YFP16: WldS mice, which coexpress the Wallerian-degeneration Slow (WldS) protein and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) in motor neurons. We also tested exogenous vital stains, including Alexa488-α-bungarotoxin; the styryl pyridinium dye 4-Di-2-Asp; and a GFP conjugate of botulinum toxin Type A heavy chain (GFP-HcBoNT/A).ResultsWe show that an integrated EMG/CEM probe is effective in longitudinal evaluation of functional and morphological changes that take place over a 7-day period during axotomy-induced, slow neuromuscular synaptic degeneration. EMG amplitude declined in parallel with overt degeneration of motor nerve terminals. EMG/CEM was safe and effective when nerve terminals and motor endplates were selectively stained with vital dyes.InterpretationOur findings constitute proof-of-concept, based on live imaging in an animal model, that combining EMG/CEM may be useful as a minimally invasive precursor or alternative to motor-point biopsy in neurological diagnosis and for monitoring local administration of potential therapeutics.

Progressive nigrostriatal terminal dysfunction and degeneration in the engrailed1 heterozygous mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Current research on Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis requires relevant animal models that mimic the gradual and progressive development of neuronal dysfunction and degeneration that characterizes the disease. Polymorphisms in engrailed 1 (En1), a homeobox transcription factor that is crucial for both the development and survival of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons, are associated with sporadic PD. This suggests that En1 mutant mice might be a promising candidate PD model. Indeed, a mouse that lacks one En1 allele exhibits decreased mitochondrial complex I activity and progressive midbrain dopamine neuron degeneration in adulthood, both features associated with PD. We aimed to further characterize the disease-like phenotype of these En1+/− mice with a focus on early neurodegenerative changes that can be utilized to score efficacy of future disease modifying studies. We observed early terminal defects in the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway in En1+/− mice. Several weeks before a significant loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra could be detected, we found that striatal terminals expressing high levels of dopaminergic neuron markers TH, VMAT2, and DAT were dystrophic and swollen. Using transmission electron microscopy, we identified electron dense bodies consistent with abnormal autophagic vacuoles in these terminal swellings. In line with these findings, we detected an up-regulation of the mTOR pathway, concurrent with a downregulation of the autophagic marker LC3B, in ventral midbrain and nigral dopaminergic neurons of the En1+/− mice. This supports the notion that autophagic protein degradation is reduced in the absence of one En1 allele. We imaged the nigrostriatal pathway using the CLARITY technique and observed many fragmented axons in the medial forebrain bundle of the En1+/− mice, consistent with axonal maintenance failure. Using in vivo electrochemistry, we found that nigrostriatal terminals in the dorsal striatum were severely deficient in dopamine release and reuptake. Our findings support a progressive retrograde degeneration of En1+/− nigrostriatal neurons, akin to what is suggested to occur in PD. We suggest that using the En1+/− mice as a model will provide further key insights into PD pathogenesis, and propose that axon terminal integrity and function can be utilized to estimate dopaminergic neuron health and efficacy of experimental PD therapies.

Dysfunctional mitochondrial Ca(2+) handling in mutant SOD1 mouse models of fALS: integration of findings from motor neuron somata and motor terminals.

Abundant evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction and Ca2+ dysregulation contribute to the muscle denervation and motor neuron death that occur in mouse models of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). This perspective considers measurements of mitochondrial function and Ca2+ handling made in both motor neuron somata and motor nerve terminals of SOD1-G93A mice at different disease stages. These complementary studies are integrated into a model of how mitochondrial dysfunction disrupts handling of stimulation-induced Ca2+ loads in presymptomatic and end-stages of this disease. Also considered are possible mechanisms underlying the findings that some treatments that preserve motor neuron somata fail to postpone degeneration of motor axons and terminals.

(G2019S) LRRK2 causes early-phase dysfunction of SNpc dopaminergic neurons and impairment of corticostriatal long-term depression in the PD transgenic mouse

Twelve- to sixteen-month-old (G2019S) LRRK2 transgenic mice prepared by us displayed progressive neuronal death of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) dopaminergic cells. In the present study, we hypothesized that prior to a late-phase death of SNpc dopaminergic neurons, (G2019S) LRRK2 also causes an early-phase neuronal dysfunction of SNpc dopaminergic cells in the (G2019S) LRRK2 mouse. Eight to nine-month-old (G2019S) LRRK2 transgenic mice exhibited the symptom of hypoactivity in the absence of the degeneration of SNpc dopaminergic neurons or nigrostriatal dopaminergic terminals. Whole-cell current-clamp recordings of SNpc dopaminergic cells in brain slices demonstrated a significant decrease in spontaneous firing frequency of SNpc dopaminergic neurons of 8-month-old (G2019S) LRRK2 mice. Carbon fiber electrode amperometry recording using striatal slices showed that (G2019S) LRRK2 transgenic mice at the age of 8 to 9months display an impaired evoked dopamine release in the dorsolateral striatum. Normal nigrostriatal dopaminergic transmission is required for the induction of long-term synaptic plasticity expressed at corticostriatal glutamatergic synapses of striatal medium spiny neurons. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings showed that in contrast to medium spiny neurons of 8 to 9-month-old wild-type mice, high-frequency stimulation of corticostriatal afferents failed to induce long-term depression (LTD) of corticostriatal EPSCs in medium spiny neurons of (G2019S) LRRK2 mice at the same age. Our study provides the evidence that mutant (G2019S) LRRK2 causes early-phase dysfunctions of SNpc dopaminergic neurons, including a decrease in spontaneous firing rate and a reduction in evoked dopamine release, and impairment of corticostriatal LTD in the (G2019S) LRRK2 transgenic mouse.