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Induction and Assessment of Levodopa-induced Dyskinesias in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease
Published on: October 14, 2021
Levodopa-induced morphologic changes of prefrontal pyramidal tract-type neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease
Haruo Nishijima1, Tatsuya Ueno1, Shinya Ueno2
1Department of Neurology, Aomori Prefectural Central Hospital, 2-1-1 Higashi-tsukurimichi, Aomori 030-8553, Japan; Department of Neurophysiology, Institute of Brain Science, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 306-8562, Japan.
Abstract:
Long-term administration of levodopa for Parkinson's disease is associated with various motor and non-motor complications. We examined the dendritic spine morphology of pyramidal tract-type neurons in the prefrontal cortex in a rat model of Parkinson's disease chronically treated with levodopa. Dendritic spines showed decreased density and increased average volume after dopamine denervation and levodopa treatment. These morphologic alterations suggest that the prefrontal neurons may maladaptively respond to excitatory input, which might be one of the mechanisms underlying various levodopa-induced complications in patients with Parkinson's disease.
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