Table 1.

Mechanisms of PD pathogenesis and targets for therapy

PD pathogenic mechanism	Targets for neuroprotection
Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction	Inhibitors of dopamine metabolism (e.g. MAO inhibitors, dopamine receptor agonists) Electron transport enhancers (e.g. CoQ10) Other antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E, uric acid) Glutathione promoters (e.g. selenium)
Protein aggregation and misfolding	Inhibitors of α-syn aggregation Agents that reduce α-syn protein levels Enhancers of parkin function Enhancers of UCH-L1 function Enhancers of proteosomal or lysosomal pathways
Neuroinflammation	Anti-inflammatory agents (e.g. NSAIDs, statins, minocycline)
Excitotoxicity	NMDA receptor antagonists Calcium channel antagonists
Apoptosis and cell death pathways	Anti-apoptotic agents
Loss of trophic factors	Neurotrophic factors (e.g. GDNF, neurturin)