The role of excitatory amino acid in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is characterised by death of dopamine containing neurons in the substantia nigra. Long term levo-dopa treatment has severe side effects and is potentially toxic for neurons. The need for alternative treatments in Parkinson's disease is urgent. To accomplish this, further research on the link between dopamine and glutamate transmission in Parkinson's disease is needed. By way of electron microscopical immunocytochemistry and electrophysiological methods we will use an experimental rat m odel of Parkinson's disease to study the following questions: 1) Do nigro-striatal dopaminergic neurons release glutamate from separate excitatory types of synapses? 2) Are the glutamatergic synapses belonging to the nigro-striatal dopaminergic projection affected in an experimental model of Parkinson's 3) Are markers of glutamate exocytosis present in striatal astrocytes? 4) Is the glutamatergic signalling system in striatal astrocytes altered in experimental models of Parkinson's disease? 5) Are aspart ate and NMDA receptors involved in the pathogenetic morphological alterations in Parkinson's disease