The MPTP Model of Parkinson's Disease:Evolving Neuropathological Concepts

INTRODUCTION

　Animal models for human neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease are practically indispensable for research. A disease in humans presents us with a tantalizing natural experiment, but cannot and should not be manipulated, except with a view towards prevention or improvement; opportunities for examining the associated structural and biochemical changes are very limited indeed. Structural changes are usually restricted to autopsy material, with unavoidable, though variable, post mortem changes superimposed on the abnormalities existing during life. Opportunities to study early biochemical and morphological abnormalities, perhaps antedating clinical illness, are likewise extremely rare, although biochemical changes during life are becoming increasingly accessible with the use of positron imaging techniques.