Preliminary results:
To confirm that this receptor is involved in the programmed death of neurons, our principal scientific investigator Emilie, funded an experiment on transgenic mice where the receptor is completely extinct (Knock-Out mouse or KO mouse). In this experiment, the mice were exposed to a toxin known to induce the destruction of dopaminergic neurons, neurons affected in Parkinson’s disease.
The results show that the toxin did not induce any lesions in the brain of the KO mice, in fact the mice retained a normal number of live perfectly functioning dopaminergic neurons and these neurons were capable of secreting a normal level of neurotransmitters. The conclusion of research, carried out in an expert center, confirms that the receptor is involved in neuronal death and that its inhibition protects neurons from apoptosis.
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