Iron dyshomeostasis and Parkinson’s disease : animal model insights into iron-dopamine interactions in the early phase of disease progression

© 2017 Dr Patricia Mugure ChegeThe neuronal loss observed in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease is primarily localized in the substantia nigra, part of the nigrostriatal pathway. This pathway regulates movement, therefore neurodegeneration results in the characteristic motor dysfunction associated with this disorder. This region is prone to iron accumulation in normal ageing. In Parkinson’s disease, the substantia nigra has been reported to have even more iron accumulation; one estimate puts the total iron increase at 176 % higher than healthy controls. We hypothesize that this abnormal accumulation of iron leads to dopaminergic neurodegeneration. We tested this hypothesis using Caenorhabditis elegans