Modeling Nonmotor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease in Genetic Mouse Models

In addition to the cardinal motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), there are also several nonmotor symptoms that can occur, many of which can significantly affect the quality of life of patients. These nonmotor symptoms are currently of interest because they may provide new insight into the pathophysiology of PD as well as provide important targets for potential treatments. Mice overexpressing human wild-type alpha-synuclein display many nonmotor impairments including deficits in olfaction, autonomic function, cognitive function, and anomalies in measures of anxiety, making these mice a good model to study the mechanisms underlying nonmotor impairments associated with PD.