An Overview of Commonly Used Rodent Models for Studying PD-Related Cognitive Impairments

Cognitive dysfunction is a common issue in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Symptoms include impairments in working memory, learning, attention, cognitive flexibility, and social cognition. Cognitive dysfunction is found in 15-40% of patients, generally presenting as mild cognitive impairment at time of diagnosis and progressing to PD dementia in the decades following. The cognitive issues have been linked to dopaminergic, cholinergic, and noradrenergic circuits. In this report from the Preclinical Tools and Models Team at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF), you will find a summary of rodent models that display cognitive dysfunction. Please note, this list is not comprehensive.