Proteomic analysis of human substantia nigra identifies novel candidates involved in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.

Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology spreads throughout the brain following a region-specific process predominantly affecting the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta. SN exhibits a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons responsible for the major cardinal motor symptoms, along with the occurrence of Lewy bodies in the surviving neurons. To gain new insights into the underlying pathogenic mechanisms in PD, we studied postmortem nigral tissues dissected from pathologically confirmed PD cases (n = 5) and neurologically intact controls (n = 8).

Altered apolipoprotein D expression in the brain of patients with Alzheimer disease.

The etiology of late-onset Alzheimer disease is poorly understood. Predisposing factors such as the apolipoprotein E4 allele, as well as protective factors (e.g.