Exploration of neurochemical changes associated with L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson´s disease by mass spectrometry imaging

The aim of this project is to elucidate L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) by clarifying the pathophysiological mechanisms involved, which are currently unknown although LID is one of the most difficult problems facing patients with PD.

We will use innovative matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) to simultaneously image and quantify neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems, endogenous metabolites and lipids, and proteins directly in brain tissue sections.

Achievement of this aim will be facilitated by access to a biobank of brain tissues of non-human primates providing unprecedentedly comprehensive coverage of an LID model and controls, neurotoxic and genetic rodent PD models, as well as human brains and cerebrospinal fluid. We will develop methodology for highly multiplex protein imaging by MALDI-MSI.

To enable imaging of single cells directly in tissue sections we will increase the spatial resolution to