Anders Björklund

TL;DR: Two subjects with Parkinson's disease who had long-term survival of transplanted fetal mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons (11–16 years) developed α-synuclein–positive Lewy bodies in grafted neurons, providing the first evidence, to the authors' knowledge, that the disease can propagate from host to graft cells.

TL;DR: The purpose of the present review is to summarize the current knowledge of the diversity and neurochemical features of the nine dopamine-containing neuronal cell groups in the mammalian brain, their distinctive cellular properties, and their ability to regulate their dopaminergic transmitter machinery in response to altered functional demands and aging.

TL;DR: It is reported here that NGF treatment significantly reduces both the total neuronal and cholinergic neuronal death found 2 weeks after fimbria fornix transection; there was a sparing of 50% of the neurons in the MS and essentially 100% of those in the VDB that otherwise would have died.

TL;DR: Continuous intracerebral infusion of NGF over a period of four weeks can partly reverse the cholinergic cell body atrophy and improve retention of a spatial memory task in behaviourally impaired aged rats.

TL;DR: In animal models, immature neural precursors can replace lost neurons, restore function and promote brain self-repair and clinical trials in Parkinson's disease suggest that similar approaches may also work in the diseased human brain.