Genetic Models of Parkinson’s Disease: Behavior, Signaling, and Pathological Features

Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder in the United States. Although the disease can either be inherited or arise spontaneously, only 10–20% of all PD cases arise from inherited mutations. Despite this discrepancy, modeling PD in animals by means of genetic manipulations has significantly advanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive review of the pathological, neurochemical, and behavioral phenotypes in mouse genetic models of PD. We discuss the incidence of given polymorphisms in PD patients and the nature of the mutations associated with inherited forms of the disease. Special attention is paid to the advantages and limitations of each model. Lastly, we identify groups of animals with the greatest utility in identifying environmental agents that may alter the course of PD-associated symptoms.