The effect of DOPAL on the bioenergetic performances of primary olfactory bulb mixed cultures

The olfactory bulb (OB) is one of the first places affected by neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (PD). In PD, a reduced ability to detect odours (called hyposmia), is one of the prodromal symptoms, affecting patience up to decades before the diagnosis of the disease is made. Increased concentration of DOPAL, a metabolite of dopamine, have been associated with PD progression. The presence of dopaminergic neurons and thus DOPAL in the OB could explain the high vulnerability of this region.