Prior to the discovery of genes associated with familial forms of Parkinson's disease, animal
models of Parkinson's disease mainly consisted of toxin models based exclusively on the
degeneration of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons. These traditional models have provided
valuable insight into symptomatic treatments for Parkinson's disease; however, they lack the
broad extra-nigral pathology and the progression that is observed in the disease. The novel
genetic mouse models recently generated are advantageous because they have mutations …