Noncanonical Roles of hα-syn (A53T) in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease: Synaptic Pathology and Neuronal Aging

Figure 4

Changes in the synaptic structure and function at 7 months after viral injection. (a) mRNA levels of DR1, DR2, and CREB in the ipsilateral striatum (). (b) CaMKβ-2 expression in the ipsilateral striatum by using Western blot analysis. (c) Quantitative analysis of CaMKβ-2 expression in the ipsilateral striatum (). (d) NR2B expression in the ipsilateral striatum by using Western blot analysis. (e) Quantitative analysis of NR2B expression in the ipsilateral striatum (). (f, g) Representative images showing the synaptic ultrastructure in the dorsal ipsilateral striatum by using the transmission electron microscope (note: the red dashed line indicates the synaptic vesicle, white dashed line indicates the perforated synapse, white arrows indicate the postsynaptic membrane, and blue arrows indicate the presynaptic membrane area). (h) Mean area of the presynaptic membrane in 60 synapses (). (i) Ratio of the perforated synapse in more than 300 synapses (). and compared with the control group.

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