Modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in the midbrain. However, the etiology of the reduction in dopaminergic neurons remains unclear. Recently, it has been suggested that oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction are involved in neuronal cell death in the pathology of Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, it has been suggested that some existing anti- Parkinson's disease drugs have protective effects against cell death. Among these, zonisamide exerts neuroprotective effects partly by modulating ER stress. Elucidating the involvement of ER stress in in vitro and in vivo Parkinson's disease models and investigating the mechanisms against ER stress will contribute to the search for new therapeutic agents for Parkinson's disease. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.