Role of α‑synuclein in cognitive dysfunction: Studies in Drosophila melanogaster

Zhao,Xiaofeng; Sun,Xicui; Cai,Song; Ran,Dongzhi; Yan,Ying; Pei,Zhong

doi:10.3892/mmr.2015.3763

Role of α‑synuclein in cognitive dysfunction: Studies in Drosophila melanogaster

Authors:
- Xiaofeng Zhao
- Xicui Sun
- Song Cai
- Dongzhi Ran
- Ying Yan
- Zhong Pei
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Affiliations: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Zhongshan Medical School of Sun Yat‑sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China
Published online on: May 8, 2015 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2015.3763
Pages: 2683-2688

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Abstract

α‑Synuclein (α‑Syn) is hypothesized to have a critical role in sporadic and genetic cases of Parkinson's disease (PD) in which Lewy bodies, as the hallmark of PD, are formed from abnormal aggregates of α‑Syn. To determine the role of α‑Syn in the motor and cognitive dysfunction observed in PD, a Drosophila melanogaster model was established to investigate the electrophysiological and ethological changes caused by overexpression of α‑Syn. The present data indicated that α‑Syn overexpression reduced the synaptic transmission of cholinergic neurons by modulating the calcium channel currents in the projection neurons in the antennal lobe region of the Drosophila brain, as well as the learning and memory ability of the flies. However, the locomotor ability of the Drosophila remained unaffected. The present findings suggested that α‑Syn may be associated with senile dementia in patients with PD.

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