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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Mov Disord. 2019 Sep 4;34(10):1406–1422. doi: 10.1002/mds.27823

Figure 3. Contributors to neuronal vulnerability in Parkinson’s disease.

Figure 3.

Dopaminergic neurons in the SNpc which project to the striatum degenerate in PD. Multiple factors contribute to this neuronal vulnerability including: 1) extensive axonal arborization; 2) mitochondrial dysfunction due to damaged mitochondria: 3) dopamine’s biochemical properties including increased oxidized dopamine: 4) abnormal protein accumulation of α-synuclein: 5) defective autophagy and lysosomal degradation: and 6) synaptic vesicle defects.