Advantages and limitations of the equine disease, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction as a model of spontaneous dopaminergic neurodegenerative disease.
Abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a leading cause of neurologic disability in the aged population. Remarkable progress has been made in the past decade to understand the cellular and molecular events that occur in PD. However attempts to unravel the early, initiating factors in the pathogenesis of dopaminergic neurodegeneration and PD have been limited by the lack of a suitable animal model. Models in which there has been genetic or environmental manipulation are not of use in determining the natural cause of a disease. While a large scale prospective human study would be ideal, the relatively low prevalence of PD makes this approach economically and logistically infeasible. Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a spontaneous, progressive neuroendocrine disease that commonly affects aged horses and ponies. PPID results from neurodegeneration of the dopaminergic periventricular neurons that innervate the intermediate lobe of the pituitary. PPID is 10-20 times more prevalent than PD and may be readily diagnosed without a need for advanced imaging technology. Although the diseases are anatomically distinct, recent evidence suggests the pathogenesis of dopaminergic neuronal damage in PPID may have significant similarities to that of PD. In this review, the similarities and differences in the pathology of neurodegeneration in PPID and PD are compared. The potential utility of the horse as a model of spontaneous dopaminergic neurodegeneration is discussed.
Publication Date: 2007-02-20 PubMed ID: 17374512DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2007.02.001Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Review
Summary
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This research suggests that Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), a common equine disease, can provide valuable insights into Parkinson’s disease because of its similarities in dopaminergic neuronal degeneration. However, the paper also recognises the limitations and differences between the two diseases in terms of their pathology and progression.
Understanding Parkinson’s Disease and the Need for a Suitable Model
- Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurologic disability affecting the elderly population. This research focuses on understanding this disease and the cellular and molecular events that occur in PD.
- A significant challenge in studying PD is the lack of a more relevant animal model. Existing models rely heavily on genetic or environmental manipulation, which often neglects to capture the natural initiation and development of the disease.
- Large scale prospective human studies would be ideal, but due to the low prevalence of PD and the high resources needed, these are often not feasible.
Introduction to Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction
- Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) is an equine disease that affects aged horses and ponies. The disease is ten to twenty times more prevalent than PD.
- PPID results from the neurodegeneration of dopaminergic periventricular neurons, which interact with the intermediate lobe of the pituitary. This characteristic makes the PPID an attractive model for studying PD.
- Unlike PD, PPID does not require advanced imaging technology for diagnosis, making it a more accessible model for research.
Comparison between PD and PPID
- The paper compares the pathology of neurodegeneration in both PD and PPID.
- While anatomically distinct, the two diseases share a significant similarity in dopaminergic neuronal damage. This similarity suggests potential benefits in using PPID as a model for studying PD.
- The paper also explores the differences, which are crucial to understanding the potential limitations of this model. Mapping out these limitations can guide researchers on how to compensatively adjust their approach.
Conclusion
- Overall, this study suggests that horses with PPID could provide a valuable model for investigating the pathogenesis of spontaneous dopaminergic neurodegeneration.
- The anatomical difference between the diseases, existing similarities and differences in pathology, and the prevalence of PPID among horses, makes this a seemingly viable model for further research and exploration.
Cite This Article
APA
McFarlane D.
(2007).
Advantages and limitations of the equine disease, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction as a model of spontaneous dopaminergic neurodegenerative disease.
Ageing Res Rev, 6(1), 54-63.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2007.02.001 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA. diannem@okstate.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Disease Models, Animal
- Horse Diseases / metabolism
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Humans
- Parkinson Disease / metabolism
- Parkinson Disease / pathology
- Parkinson Disease / physiopathology
- Pituitary Diseases / metabolism
- Pituitary Diseases / pathology
- Pituitary Diseases / physiopathology
- Pituitary Diseases / veterinary
- Pituitary Gland, Intermediate / metabolism
- Pituitary Gland, Intermediate / pathology
- Pituitary Gland, Intermediate / physiopathology
Citations
This article has been cited 17 times.- Cartiaux B, Amara A, Pailloux N, Paumier R, Malek A, Elmehatli K, Kachout S, Bensmida B, Montel C, Arribarat G, Mogicato G. Diffusion tensor imaging tractography in the one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) brain.. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1231421.
- Stoeckle SD, Timmermann D, Merle R, Gehlen H. Plasma Amino Acids in Horses Suffering from Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 27;12(23).
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