Please pardon our appearance while our website is under construction
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by bradykinesia, tremor, and rigidity secondary to the loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra. Although the causes of most neurodegenerative diseases including PD are not known, research suggests inflammatory events are associated with DA neuron loss. The blood brain barrier and the neurovascular coupling forming the neurovascular unit (NVU) work in concert to regulate the extracellular microenvironment of the brain tissue by trafficking essential agents and keeping foreign and pro-inflammatory bodies away from the brain. Research also suggests that the NVU is regulated by the neuroserpin/tissue plasminogen activator/platelet derived growth factor CC (Nsp/tPA/PDGF-CC) pathway. My work at the Lawrence laboratory involves investigating the role of the Nsp/tPA/PDGF-CC pathway in PD using genetically modified mice in PD models.
Copyright 2015