Non-transgenic models of Parkinson's disease: The pursuit of a resemblance

Abstract

Parkinson's disease is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide and is characterized by the presence of predominantly motor symptoms, the loss of dopaminergic neurons, and degeneration of the striatum. In addition to the motor symptoms of Parkinson´s disease, there are other non-motor symptoms such as hyposmia, sleep disorders, personality changes, pain, depression, gait, speech, and swallowing difficulties. Although there has been much research in the field, there is still no specific treatment for the disease. Current studies for new treatments use a variety of models, and the most used animals are rodents, primates, and non-mammals. This review aims to present the non-transgenic models for Parkinson's disease, providing an overview of each model, their advantages and disadvantages, and at last, how they could be helpful in the search for new treatments.