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Rotenone Induces Regionally Distinct Α-Synuclein Protein Aggregation And Activation Of Glia Prior To Loss Of Dopaminergic Neurons In C57bl/6 Mice, Savannah M Rocha, Collin M Bantle, Tawfik Aboellail, Debotri Chatterjee, Richard Jay Smeyne, Ronald B Tjalkens

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Rotenone is a naturally occurring insecticide that inhibits mitochondrial complex I and leads to neurochemical and neuropathological deficits closely resembling those in Parkinson's disease (PD). Deficits include loss of dopaminergic neurons (DAn) in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), decreased dopamine levels and aggregation of misfolded alpha-synuclein (p129). In rat models of rotenone-induced parkinsonism, the progression of neuronal injury has been associated with activation of microglia and astrocytes. However, these neuroinflammatory changes have been challenging to study in mice, in part because the systemic rotenone exposure model utilized in rats is more toxic to mice. To establish a reproducible murine …