Phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in Dopaminergic Neurons Induced by Oxidative Stress after Treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine is Linked to Activation of Both Caspase-8- and -9-mediated Apoptotic Pathways.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. While its precise etiology is unknown, such factors as oxidative stress, impairment of mitochondrial respiration, excitotoxicity and inflammation may play roles in its pathogenesis. Although the role of apoptosis in the process of dopaminergic neuronal death has been highlighted in studies using postmortem brains and experimental models of PD, other evidence implicates both apoptosis and non-apoptotic death in PD. (omitted)