Pink1−/− rats are a useful tool to study early Parkinson disease
Cynthia A. Kelm‐Nelson, Sarah Lechner, Samantha E. Lettenberger, Taylor A. R. Kaldenberg, Natalie Pahapill, Amy Regenbaum, Michelle R. Ciucci
Abstract
In the 2019 publication 'To be or not to be pink (1): contradictory findings in an animal model for Parkinson disease' by de Haas et al., 1 the authors presented important data with regard to the discrepancies in the number of substantia nigra dopamine neurons and extracellular striatal dopamine concentrations reported by their laboratory and others in the Pink1 / rat model of Parkinson disease. We agree with the data and the interpretation of the data with regard to this aspect of Parkinson disease. However, in their analysis, the authors excluded an important alternative perspective that Parkinson disease encompasses many other underlying mechanisms and deficits in addition to nigrostriatal dopamine depletion. Here, based on data from our laboratory and others, we propose that the Pink1 / genetic model is useful for studying signs and non-dopaminergic pathology, especially in this specific genetic rat model. Assessing if a model is useful based only on nigrostriatal dopamine mechanisms and associated behaviours ignores many other crucial aspects of Parkinson disease (discussed below) and can have serious negative consequences on advancing research and treatment approaches.