From cell lines to pluripotent stem cells for modelling Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) that contributes to the main motor symptoms of the disease. At present, even if several advancements have been done in the last decades, the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis are far to be fully understood. Accordingly, the establishment of reliable in vitro experimental models to investigate the early events of the pathogenesis represents a key issue in the field. However, to mimic and reproduce in vitro the complex neuronal circuitry involved in PD-associated degeneration of DAergic neurons still remains a highly challenging issue. Here we will review the in vitro PD models used in the last 25 years of research, ranging from cell lines, primary rat or mice neuronal cultures to the more recent use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and, finally, the development of 3D midbrain organoids.