Dear jmp: Are the zitter mutant rats perchance related to
the mutant worms? Only kidding. Appreciate your mining
expositions.       Caffeined Caroley
P.S. What ARE zitter mutant rats?

--- janet marie paterson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Age-related dopamine deficiency
> in the mesostriatal dopamine system of zitter mutant
> rats:
> regional fiber vulnerability in the striatum and the
> olfactory tubercle.
>
> Oxidant stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of
> Parkinson's disease.
>
> To test the oxidant stress hypothesis of dopaminergic
> degeneration, age-related changes in the mesostriatal
> dopamine neuron system were compared between zitter
> mutant rats which have abnormal metabolism of oxygen
> species in the brain and Sprague-Dawley rat as a control
> using the neurochemistry and immunohistochemistry.
>
> Dopamine content in the caudate-putamen, nucleus
> accumbens and olfactory tubercle of zitter rats decreased
> significantly with age, and was lower than that found in
> corresponding age-matched controls.
>
> In the zitter rats, the reduction of dopamine was more
> prominent in the caudate-putamen than in the nucleus
> accumbens and olfactory tubercle.
>
> A characteristic decline of tyrosine
> hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers in the caudate-putamen
> of the zitter rat was also observed.
>
> In the dorsolateral caudate-putamen, reduction of
> tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers was observed
> in the matrix-like area, whereas in the ventromedial
> caudate-putamen the reduction occurred in the patch-like
> areas.
>
> Degeneration of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive
> fibers which was characterized by swollen varicosities
> and clustered fibers was observed in the caudate-putamen
> and nucleus accumbens and preceded loss of normal
> tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers in the
> caudate-putamen.
>
> Thus, the depletion of dopamine in the terminal areas is
> related to axonal degeneration.
>
> However, there was no degenerative tyrosine
> hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers in the olfactory
> tubercle at any examined age, but reductions of tyrosine
> hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers and dopamine contents
> were noted in the olfactory tubercle after four
> months-of-age.
>
> Since the zitter rats have an abnormal oxygen metabolism,
> the degeneration of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive
> fibers could result from an accumulation of superoxide
> species.
>
> The present results provide support for the oxidant
> stress hypothesis of dopaminergic neuronal degeneration
> and further indicate the region-specific vulnerability of
> the nigrostriatal dopamine system.
>
>
> Neuroscience 2000;95(2):389-98
> Ueda S, Aikawa M, Ishizuya-Oka A, Yamaoka S, Koibuchi N,
> Yoshimoto K
> Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Mibu, Tochigi,
> Japan.
>
> PMID: 10658618, UI: 20121705
>
>
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10658618&form=6&db=m&Dopt=b>
>
> janet paterson
> 52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset
> a new voice: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/
> 613 256 8340 PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario Canada K0A 1A0
>
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com