Dietary Restriction Recovers Cerebral Activity in Pitx3 Knockout Mouse Model of Parkinsons Disease

Puneet Bagga¹, Anup Nirmal Chugani¹, M Suresh Kumar¹, Anant Bahadur Patel¹

Pitx3 knockout (Pitx3^-/-) mouse model is a well characterized genetic model of Parkinsons disease (PD) due to malformation of substantia nigra leading to loss of dopamine innervations in striatum. Dietary restriction (DR) is linked with longevity and neuroprotection via many mechanisms. Regional cerebral metabolism was monitored by infusion of [1,6-¹³C₂]glucose for 10 min in conjunction with ¹H-[¹³C]-NMR spectroscopy of mice brain extracts. Glucose oxidation by Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons was decreased, additionally thalamus-hypothalamic excitatory activity and neurotransmission was found to be reduced in Pitx3^-/- mice which was observed to be recovered after 6 months of DR.