Physical exercise prevents respiratory anatomical and functional changes in the Parkinson's Disease model

• Grant number: 21/08562-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• End date: March 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Bárbara Falquetto
• Grantee: Pamela Ojuorun Santos Medeiros
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/00065-1 - Oxidative stress in respiratory control of Parkinson Disease animal model, AP.JP

Abstract

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of catecholaminergic neurons present in the Substantia Nigra (SN). The main symptoms related to this disease are the motor symptoms, such as bradykinesia, postural instability, stiffness, resting tremor. On the other hand, there are also non-motor symptoms, such as respiratory deficits, which are due to obstruction of the upper airways, in addition to neurodegeneration at the nuclei involved in neural control of breathing, in the medullary region. It is considered that one of the main causes of neurodegeneration in PD is the oxidative stress and this happens due to an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defenses. Although, it is known that physical exercise is able to attenuate the development of oxidative stress through the activation of anti-apoptotic pathways, may being able to prevent the neurodegeneration present in medullary regions that are responsible for the respiratory deficits present in the PD. The objective of this project is to evaluate whether physical exercise is able to prevent respiratory anatomical and functional changes in the Parkinson's Disease model provoked by the bilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine in the striatum. (AU)