Pathogenesis and animal studies of Parkinson's disease.

Abstract

This article reviews the past year's literature on pathogenesis and animal studies of Parkinson's disease. Studies on aging, genetic aspects, environmental factors, melanin, altered iron metabolism, oxidative stress, defective mitochondrial respiration, excitatory amino acids, and trophic support are reviewed in relation to the vulnerability of dopaminergic nigral neurons and the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.