Changes to Ventilation, Vocalization, and Thermal Nociception in the Pink1-/- Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience significant vocal communication deficits. Findings in the Pink1-/- rat model of early-onset PD suggest that ultrasonic vocal communication is impaired early, progressively worsens prior to nigrostriatal dopamine depletion, and is associated with loss of locus coeruleus neurons, brainstem α-synuclein, and larynx pathology. Individuals with PD also demonstrate ventilatory deficits and altered sensory processing, which may contribute to vocal deficits.

Objective

The central hypothesis is that ventilatory and sensory deficits are present in the early disease stages when limb and vocal motor deficits also present.

Methods

Pink1-/- rats were compared to wildtype (WT) controls at longitudinal timepoints. Whole-b

SUBMITTER: Johnson RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8142388 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature