Dopaminergic neuronal cell degeneration is the principal characteristic feature of the neuropathology of Parkinson disease. Cultures of mesencephalic neurons are widely used as a source of dopaminergic neurons for the study of mechanisms implicated in dopaminergic cell death and for the evaluation of potential dopaminergic neuroprotective agents, including neurotrophic factors. This chapter presents a detailed protocol for the preparation of rat mesencephalic cell cultures and their application to evaluating the effect of the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium and the neuroprotective action of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
Keywords: 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium; 2,4,5-Trihydroxyphenylalanine; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Dopamine uptake; Mesencephalic; Parkinson disease; Rat; Tyrosine hydroxylase; Ventral tegmentum.