Stem cell deficiency in Parkinson's disease

Neural precursor cells are newly born throughout adulthood in the subventricular (SVZ) zone of the basal ganglia and in the sugbranular zone of the hippocampus in mammals. These precursor cells integrate into the brain as functional interneurons. We demonstrated that a dopaminergic innervation exists in both of these regions. In the SVZ, dopaminergic fibers were found in immediate vicinity of highly proliferate precursor cells. The precursor cells expressed dopamine receptors. An experimental ablation of the dopaminergic afferents reduced the proliferation rate of these precursors, and the generation and integra…