AUTHOR=Rodriguez Manuel , Morales Ingrid , Rodriguez-Sabate Clara , Sanchez Alberto , Castro Rafael , Brito Jose Miguel , Sabate Magdalena TITLE=The degeneration and replacement of dopamine cells in Parkinson’s disease: the role of aging JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroanatomy VOLUME=8 YEAR=2014 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroanatomy/articles/10.3389/fnana.2014.00080 DOI=10.3389/fnana.2014.00080 ISSN=1662-5129 ABSTRACT=

Available data show marked similarities for the degeneration of dopamine cells in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and aging. The etio-pathogenic agents involved are very similar in both cases, and include free radicals, different mitochondrial disturbances, alterations of the mitophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Proteins involved in PD such as α-synuclein, UCH-L1, PINK1 or DJ-1, are also involved in aging. The anomalous behavior of astrocytes, microglia and stem cells of the subventricular zone (SVZ) also changes similarly in aging brains and PD. Present data suggest that PD could be the expression of aging on a cell population with high vulnerability to aging. The future knowledge of mechanisms involved in aging could be critical for both understanding the etiology of PD and developing etiologic treatments to prevent the onset of this neurodegenerative illness and to control its progression.