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Spinal Cord Stimulation Prevents Progressive Motor Deterioration in an α-Synuclein-Based Rat Parkinson’s Disease Model
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  • Alejandra Parra-Peña,
  • Yildy Utreras-Mendoza,
  • María Florencia Álamos-Grau,
  • Carolina Astudillo-Valenzuela,
  • Sebastián Pérez-González,
  • Ximena P. García-Núñez ,
  • Dorothy E. Oorschot,
  • Steve Seo,
  • Ramón Sotomayor-Zarate,
  • Francisco Silva-Olivares,
  • Marisol Cisternas-Olmedo,
  • Carolina Jerez,
  • Jorge Toledo,
  • Catalina Muñoz-Muñoz,
  • Sergio Pablo Sardi,
  • Claudio Hetz,
  • Pablo Henny,
  • Rene Vidal,
  • Rómulo Fuentes
Alejandra Parra-Peña
Universidad de Chile
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Yildy Utreras-Mendoza
Universidad Mayor
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María Florencia Álamos-Grau
Universidad de Chile
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Carolina Astudillo-Valenzuela
Universidad de Chile
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Sebastián Pérez-González
Universidad de Chile
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Ximena P. García-Núñez
Universidad de Chile
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Dorothy E. Oorschot
University of Otago
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Steve Seo
University of Otago
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Ramón Sotomayor-Zarate
Universidad de Valparaiso
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Francisco Silva-Olivares
Universidad de Valparaiso
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Marisol Cisternas-Olmedo
Universidad Mayor
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Carolina Jerez
Universidad Mayor
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Jorge Toledo
Universidad de Chile
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Catalina Muñoz-Muñoz
Universidad de Chile
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Sergio Pablo Sardi
Sanofi
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Claudio Hetz
FONDAP
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Pablo Henny
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
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Rene Vidal
Universidad Mayor
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Rómulo Fuentes
Universidad de Chile

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Spinal cord stimulation is a functional neurosurgery proposed for treating motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease, yet the mechanisms underlying motor symptom relief have not been elucidated. While preclinical studies suggest that long-term motor improvements may be due to neuroprotection of the nigrostriatal pathway, this evidence is limited to neurotoxic models. To evaluate the effect of spinal cord stimulation on nigrostriatal pathway neuroprotection in a genetic model of Parkinson’s disease, male Sprague-Dawley rats were unilaterally injected into the substantia nigra with empty or α-synuclein-coding adeno-associated viruses. Thirty-two days later, the rats were treated with 300 Hz spinal cord stimulation for ten weeks (two sessions/week). Ninety-one days post-injection treated α-synuclein rats had better motor performance than the untreated group, and no differences compared to the control group. However, spinal cord stimulation could not counteract the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the nigrostriatal pathway and did not cause changes in the total dopamine levels in the striatum, dopamine transporter, or tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the substantia nigra. The current study suggests that spinal cord stimulation prevents motor impairment in a genetic model of PD through a mechanism independent of the nigrostriatal pathway degeneration induced by α-synuclein overexpression.
27 May 2024Submitted to European Journal of Neuroscience
29 May 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
20 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
13 Oct 20241st Revision Received
14 Oct 2024Submission Checks Completed
14 Oct 2024Assigned to Editor
14 Oct 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
14 Oct 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned