Oxidative Stress in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive, age-related movement disorder, whose neuropathology is character- ized by degeneration of the afferent pigmented neurons of the substantia nigra. Also associated with PD neuropathology are disrupted iron homeostasis, oxidative stress, and intracellular deposition of alpha-synuclein protein in Lewy bodies. Here we review oxidative stress mechanisms in Parkinson's disease, with emphasis on the relationship between oxidative stress and alpha-synuclein gene expression.