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Mechanisms of aluminium neurotoxicity in oxidative stress-induced ...

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INTRODUCTION<br />

other bra<strong>in</strong> areas and <strong>in</strong> the peripheral autonomic nervous system as the disease<br />

progresses (Forno et al. 1996, Wakabayashi and Takahashi 1997, Spillant<strong>in</strong>i et al. 1998,<br />

Braak et al. 2003, Wakabayashi et al. 2007). The extensive distribution <strong>of</strong> LB could<br />

account for a variety <strong>of</strong> motor and non-motor symptoms <strong>of</strong> PD. Interest<strong>in</strong>gly it has been<br />

proposed that LB appear first <strong>in</strong> both the olfactory bulb and lower bra<strong>in</strong> stem, follow<strong>in</strong>g<br />

then a foreseeable progression which contributes to expla<strong>in</strong> the loss <strong>of</strong> olfaction which<br />

might precede motor symptoms.<br />

Figure 12: LB and LN <strong>in</strong> PD patients (A, B: Wakabayashi and Takahashi 2007, C: Braak and Del Tredici<br />

2008) and localization <strong>of</strong> LB and LN (D: Braak et al. 2003)<br />

22<br />

A B<br />

C D<br />

The presence <strong>of</strong> LB is not specific for PD as they occur also <strong>in</strong> AD, dementia<br />

with LB (DLB) and <strong>in</strong> healthy people <strong>of</strong> advanced age at a greater frequency than the<br />

prevalence <strong>of</strong> PD (Gibb and Lees 1988). The role <strong>of</strong> LB <strong>in</strong> neuronal cell death is<br />

controversial and under debate: LB may be toxic by <strong>in</strong>terfer<strong>in</strong>g with normal cellular<br />

processes and/or by sequester<strong>in</strong>g important prote<strong>in</strong>s for cell survival or on the other<br />

hand, they could be cytoprotective as they may sequester and degrade the toxic prote<strong>in</strong>s

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