Are dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta region of the brain particularly susceptible to protein damage? (360G-Wellcome-202149_Z_16_Z)

£2,000

The pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a loss of dopaminergic neurons from the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) region of the brain. Why this brain region is particularly vulnerable to damage and neuronal degeneration has yet to be resolved. This project will quantify the relative protein expression of the major redox regulating enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), & glutathione peroxidase (GluPx), and the protein repair enzyme, protein isoaspartyl methyltransferase (PIMT) in 7 different brain regions (pre-frontal cortex, caudate nucleus, cerebellum, hippocampus, substantia nigra pars compacta, corpus callosum, & thalamus) from Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and age, sex, and post-mortem delay matched control subjects. Brains from a total of 10 matched PD and control subjects will be analysed. The hypothesis to test is whether the SNpc region of the brain that degenerates in PD is particularly susceptible to injury due to relatively low expression of these damage-limiting enzymes. If this study demonstrates that the SNpc has low level protein expressions, then agents aimed at reducing this selective damage, such as anti-oxidants, may have useful therapeutic benefit to combat development and/or progression of PD.

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Grant Details

Amount Awarded 2000
Applicant Surname Schaffert
Approval Committee Internal Decision Panel for C&S
Award Date 2016-04-01T00:00:00+00:00
Financial Year 2015/16
Grant Programme: Title Vacation Scholarships
Internal ID 202149/Z/16/Z
Lead Applicant Miss Larissa Schaffert
Partnership Value 2000
Planned Dates: End Date 2016-07-30T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Start Date 2016-06-06T00:00:00+00:00
Recipient Org: Country United Kingdom
Region East Midlands