Research report 2007 - Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (Martinsried site)
Aid system for aging nerve cells
Authors
Kramer, Edgar; Aron, Liviu; Schulz, Jörg; Klein, Rüdiger
Departments
Molekulare Neurobiologie (Klein) (Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Klein)
MPI für Neurobiologie, Martinsried
Summary
Parkinson disease is characterized by a massive loss of nerve cells in a specific brain region. It was shown that the Ret receptor, which is activated by the neurotrophic factor GDNF, is essential for the survival and regeneration of nerve cells in this brain region. These results advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms in the aging brain and may facilitate the development of new therapies for Parkinson disease.