Defining cutaneous autonomic denervation in central neurodegenerative disorders

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Timo Siepmann
• Subject Area: Molecular and Cellular Neurology and Neuropathology
• Term: from 2009 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 159792978

Parkinson’s disease (PD) as well as multiple system atrophy (MSA) are diseases that result in a degeneration of the autonomic nervous system (Lim et al. 2009, Mathias et al. 2006). The corresponding mechanisms of neuronal degeneration are poorly understood (Sharabi et al. 2008). The central hypothesis of this application is that immuno-histochemical dissection of cutaneous tissue will differentiate patients with PD from patients with MSA and correlate with disease severity. The specific aims of the project are: 1) to develop novel immuno-histochemical techniques in order to identify cutaneous autonomic nerve fibers in standard skin biopsies 2) to quantify differences in autonomic nerve fiber density in subjects with central and peripheral causes of autonomic failure. The sympathetic cholinergic nerve fiber innervation to sweat glands will be quantified in standard skin biopsies by use of sympathetic cholinergic stains in a cohort of patients with MSA and PD, and the sympathetic adrenergic innervation will be quantified by staining of arrector pilori muscles through sympathetic adrenergic stains.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Roy Freeman