New tricks for old dogmas: Optogenetic and designer receptor insights for Parkinson's disease

Elena M. Vazey, Gary Aston-Jones

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Optogenetics and novel designer receptors have revolutionized the way neuroscientists can interrogate neural circuits. These new tools are being rapidly applied to many facets of neuroscience including the study of Parkinson's disease circuitry and therapies. This review highlights how optogenetics and designer receptors can be applied in the study of Parkinsonian dysfunction to understand the mechanisms behind motor and non-motor symptoms. We discuss how these tools have recently advanced our understanding of basal ganglia function and outline how they can be applied in future to refine existing treatments and generate novel therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Optogenetics (7th BRES)

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)153-163
Number of pages11
JournalBrain research
Volume1511
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Developmental Biology

Keywords

  • Basal ganglia
  • DREADD
  • Dopamine
  • Non-motor
  • Norepinephrine
  • Optogenetic
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Striatum

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