Neuroplasticity and Parkinson's disease

Emerging concept, to date, neuroplasticity becomes a concrete reality in the adult central nervous system (CNS), particularly in a so-called neurodegenerative disease as idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). After a brief survey of some general aspects of plasticity in the CNS, the present tutorial review illustrates with recent data from the literature the modes of plastic changes during the course of IPD, either resulting from dopaminergic denervation (hyperactivity of remaining dopaminergic neurons with increase of their excitatory cholinergic innervation in the substantia nigra, enhancement of the corticostriatal glutamatergic synaptic activity at the striatal level) or due to dopaminergic treatment (change in phosphorylation state of the striatal glutamate receptors, internalization of D1 Dopamine receptors). Neuroplasticity in Parkinson's disease could represent a rational basis for forthcoming therapeutic issues