Title:Cellular, Molecular and Non-Pharmacological Therapeutic Advances for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: Separating Hope from Hype
Volume: 18
Issue: 4
Author(s): Mehdi Ghamgosha, Ali Mohammad Latifi, Gholam Hossein Meftahi and Alireza Mohammadi*
Affiliation:
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran,Iran
Keywords:
PRKN gene delivery, α-Synuclein silencing, tDCS, DBS, Cell therapy, AAV-GAD.
Abstract: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a frustrating condition characterized by motor and nonmotor
deficits majorly caused by the loss
of dopaminergic cells in the Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNc)
and destruction of the nigrostriatal pathway. Despite the very respectable advances in cutting-edge approaches
for the treatment of PD, there exist numerous challenges that have incapacitated the definitive
treatment of this disease. This review emphasized the development of various non-pharmaceutical
therapeutic approaches and mainly highlighted the cutting-edge treatments for PD including gene- and
stem cell-based therapies, targeted delivery of neurotrophic factors, and brain stimulation techniques
such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS),
and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). The review covered various gene therapy strategies including
Adeno-Associated Virus-Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (AAV-GAD), AAV–Aromatic L-Amino Acid
Decarboxylase (AAV-AADC), Lenti-AADC/Tyrosine Hydroxylase/Guanosine Triphosphate-
Cyclohydrolase I (Lenti-AADC/TH/GTP-CH1), AAV–Neurturin (AAV-NRTN), α-Synuclein silencing,
and PRKN gene delivery. Also, the advantages, disadvantages, and the results of trials of these
methods were discussed. Finally, reasons for the failure of PD treatment were described, with the
hopes separated from hypes.
