The subthalamic nucleus in health and disease

Sammanfattning: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world. PD is caused by degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical therapy used in PD to alleviate motor dysfunction by application of high-frequency stimulation through implanted electrodes. STN is an important target of DBS electrodes in PD treatment. However, a series of side effects have been reported upon STN-DBS treatment, and the reliability of the method could be clinically improved. To achieve this, anatomical and functional studies in mice can contribute important knowledge. There are different models to explain the internal STN organization, each of which has experimental evidence. Previous work has shown that the Vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) and Paired-box homeodomain transcription factor 2 (Pitx2) genes are needed for normal development and function of the STN in mice. These genes are expressed throughout the STN and their use as markers for STN neurons has enabled functional studies. To progress, more knowledge of the internal organization of the STN would be useful. Here, three antibodies representing three potential STN markers were tested using immunohistochemistry. PCR analysis was used to genotype Pitx2-Cre transgenic mice that are currently used for functional and behavioral STN studies.