Respiratory disorders in Parkinson's Disease: study of possible neural mechanisms in an animal model

• Grant number: 11/21841-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2012
• End date: March 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Ana Carolina Takakura Moreira
• Grantee: Marina Tuppy Cavalleri
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the clinical tetrad tremor, rigidity, akinesia (or bradykinesia) and postural instability. The tremor typically starts asymmetrically and is present at rest, usually involving hands, legs, jaw, lips, but sparing the head. Pathologically, PD is classified as a synucleinopathy associated predominantly with the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, but other brain stem neurons have been found to degenerate in PD, possibly contributing to not only motor but also non-motor alterations observed in this pathology. In patients with PD also noted respiratory impairments whose mechanisms are not yet well understood. The various respiratory changes observed in PD can be characterized as 1. Upper airway obstruction, 2. Complications of medicine intake, 3. Complications of medication withdrawal and 4. Pneumonia. The objective of this project is to study possible mechanisms involved in respiratory problems that are associated with PD. Therefore, we sought to study whether the basal respiratory activity and central and/or peripheral chemoreflex is impaired in animals with PD induced by the injection of 6-hydroxy-dopamine (6-OHDA) in the caudate-putamen (CPU). This protocol produces a model of PD that generates wide inflammatory response. The evaluation of these functional respiratory responses will be held for a period of 60 days after injection of 6-OHDA on the CPU. In addition to this functional assessment, 60 days after the injection, the animals will be deeply anesthetized and perfused. Their brains will be removed and cut into coronal sections. The sections will receive the treatment of immunohistochemistry for assessment of possible changes in neuroanatomical regions located in the medulla responsible for the neural control of respiration. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FALQUETTO, BARBARA; TUPPY, MARINA; POTJE, SIMONE R.; MOREIRA, THIAGO S.; ANTONIALI, CRISTINA; TAKAKURA, ANA C.. Cardiovascular dysfunction associated with neurodegeneration in an experimental model of Parkinson's disease. Brain Research, v. 1657, p. 156-166, FEB 15 2017. (11/21841-8, 14/22406-1, 15/11268-0, 12/20398-6)