Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34297092›Full record

ArticleBrain : a journal of neurology2021

Dopamine-dependent early synaptic and motor dysfunctions induced by α-synuclein in the nigrostriatal circuit.

Alessandro Tozzi, Miriam Sciaccaluga, Vittorio Loffredo, Alfredo Megaro, Ada Ledonne, Antonella Cardinale, Mauro Federici, Laura Bellingacci, Silvia Paciotti, Elena Ferrari and 8 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain : a journal of neurology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 72 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
72citing papers in PubMed
8.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

72 citing papers in PubMed, 117 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Immune-mediated excitotoxicity in brain disorders.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2026
    Review
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  19. Review
  20. Neurobiology of stress · 2025
    Review

12 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors at 9 institutions in 1 country.

Alessandro TozziDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy.
Miriam SciaccalugaDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy.
Vittorio LoffredoDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy.
Alfredo MegaroDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy.
Ada LedonneLaboratory of Experimental Neuroscience, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, 00143 Rome, Italy.
Antonella CardinaleDepartment of Experimental Neurophysiology, IRCCS San Raffaele, 00166 Rome, Italy.
Mauro FedericiLaboratory of Experimental Neuroscience, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, 00143 Rome, Italy.
Laura BellingacciDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy.
Silvia PaciottiDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy.
Elena FerrariDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6015-4130
Antonino La RoccaInstitute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology - IBBC, CNR, 00015 Monterotondo scalo, Italy.
Alessandro MartiniLaboratory of Experimental Neuroscience, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, 00143 Rome, Italy.
Nicola B MercuriLaboratory of Experimental Neuroscience, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, 00143 Rome, Italy.
Fabrizio GardoniDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Barbara PicconiDepartment of Experimental Neurophysiology, IRCCS San Raffaele, 00166 Rome, Italy.
Veronica GhiglieriSan Raffaele University, 00166 Rome, Italy.
Elvira De LeonibusInstitute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology - IBBC, CNR, 00015 Monterotondo scalo, Italy.
Paolo CalabresiNeurological Clinic, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy.
University of Perugia · ITFondazione Santa Lucia · ITSan Raffaele University of Rome · ITUniversity of Milan · ITAgostino Gemelli University Polyclinic · ITInstitute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology · ITTelethon Institute Of Genetics And Medicine · ITUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · ITUniversity of Rome Tor Vergata · IT

Funding

Regulation of Motor Function in Parkinson's DiseaseR01NS045962 · NINDS · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI PAPA, STELLA M, TRAYNELIS, STEPHEN F · 2004 to 2022
$5.2M
Regulation of Motor Function in Parkinson's DiseaseR56NS045962 · NINDS · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI PAPA, STELLA M, TRAYNELIS, STEPHEN F · 2018 to 2018
$603k
NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS045962NINDS NIH HHS R56 NS045962
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Misfolding and aggregation of α-synuclein are specific features of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases defined as synucleinopathies. Parkinson's disease progression has been correlated with the formation and extracellular release of α-synuclein aggregates, as well as with their spread from neuron to neuron. Therapeutic interventions in the initial stages of Parkinson's disease require a clear understanding of the mechanisms by which α-synuclein disrupts the physiological synaptic and plastic activity of the basal ganglia. For this reason, we identified two early time points to clarify how the intrastriatal injection of α-synuclein-preformed fibrils in rodents via retrograde transmission induces time-dependent electrophysiological and behavioural alterations. We found that intrastriatal α-synuclein-preformed fibrils perturb the firing rate of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, while the discharge of putative GABAergic cells of the substantia nigra pars reticulata is unchanged. The α-synuclein-induced dysregulation of nigrostriatal function also impairs, in a time-dependent manner, the two main forms of striatal synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation and long-term depression. We also observed an increased glutamatergic transmission measured as an augmented frequency of spontaneous excitatory synaptic currents. These changes in neuronal function in the substantia nigra pars compacta and striatum were observed before overt neuronal death occurred. In an additional set of experiments, we were able to rescue α-synuclein-induced alterations of motor function, striatal synaptic plasticity and increased spontaneous excitatory synaptic currents by subchronic treatment with l-DOPA, a precursor of dopamine widely used in the therapy of Parkinson's disease, clearly demonstrating that a dysfunctional dopamine system plays a critical role in the early phases of the disease.

Indexed as

alpha-SynucleinAnimalsDopamineDopaminergic NeuronsMaleNeuronal PlasticityParkinson DiseaseRatsRats, WistarSubstantia NigraSynaptic Transmissionalpha-SynucleinDopaminelong-term depressionlong-term potentiationParkinson’s diseasesubstantia nigrasynaptic plasticity

Identifiers

PMID34297092
PMCPMC8677552
OpenAlexW3185228246

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.