Alteration of striatal microcircuitry in Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease is characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra pars compacta that innervate the striatum. The major target of dopaminergic neurons are the medium spiny neurons that compose more than 95% of striatal neurons. Striatal projection neurons differ in neuropeptide content and dopaminergic receptors. The main goal of my research project as a post-doctoral student under Dr. Martin Parent’s supervision is to characterize the morphological changes of striatal projection neurons that occur in Parkinson’s disease. In order to achieve my goal, I use microinjections of striatal neurons followed by immunohistochemistry at the light, confocal and electron microscopic level.