An Overview of Commonly Used Rodent Models for Studying PD-Related Mood Symptoms

Mood issues such as depression, anxiety, and apathy are common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Some reports suggest that up to 90% of patients experience at least one of these conditions during some stage of disease, greatly reducing the quality of life of people with Parkinson’s disease. Anxiety and depression can begin early in disease and continue through to late stage. These nonmotor symptoms are linked to dysfunction in noradrenergic (depression and anxiety), serotoninergic (depression and anxiety), and dopaminergic (apathy) systems. Psychosis is another symptom that has been reported in PD, particularly at later stages of disease. Herein you will find a summary of models that display altered mood phenotypes from the Preclinical Tools and Models Team at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). Please note, this list is not comprehensive.