Factores tróficos en neuronas dopaminérgicas mesencefálicas

Abstract

Since the discovery of trophic factors, their role in the development, maintenance and regeneration of the nervous system has been postulated and in some cases, proven. The knowledge and manipulation of these substances has been used: i) to formulate new theories about the etiology of various neurodegenerative disorders and ii) to develop new therapeutic alternatives in the treatment of these diseases. In this review, we summarize the main effects of several trophic factors on the developing dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, whose degeneration causes, in the adult, most of the symptoms seen in Parkinson's disease.