Focused Neuroprotection in Parkinson's Disease: Effects of N-Acetylcysteine and MRI-guided Ultrasound Neuromodulation

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons (DAn) in the brain, leading to severe symptomatology. Current treatments mainly address motor symptoms rather than preventing DAn damage or degeneration. Hence, there is an urgent need for novel strategies, particularly those that can combine neuroprotective and neuroregenerative approaches [1]. Drug repurposing is a powerful method for identifying new applications for approved drugs outside the scope of the original medical indication [2]. Under this concept, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a potent antioxidant, has shown therapeutic abilities in modulating oxidative stress and preventing dopamine-induced cell death [3], suggesting potential disease-modifying actions in PD. Notably, recent data from our team revealed that NAC could restore dopamine transporter (DAT) levels in the dorsal striatum of PD animals [4].

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/31414

Citation

Silva, R. C., Araújo, B., Vilaça-Ferreira, A. C., Vilela, C., Teixeira, C., Martins-Macedo, J., Soares-Guedes, C., Gomes, E. D., Mériaux, S., Larrat, B., Wade-Martins, R., Fernandes, H. J., & Teixeira, F. (2025). Focused Neuroprotection in Parkinson’s Disease: Effects of N-Acetylcysteine and MRI-guided Ultrasound Neuromodulation. Abstracts of the ECNP Workshop on Applied Neuroscience 2025 - Neuroscience Applied, Volume 4, Supplement 1, 47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105496