TY - JOUR T1 - Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration in the <em>Weaver</em> Mouse Is Mediated via Neuroinflammation and Alleviated by Minocycline Administration JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 11644 LP - 11651 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3447-06.2006 VL - 26 IS - 45 AU - Jun Peng AU - Lin Xie AU - Fang Feng Stevenson AU - Simon Melov AU - Donato A. Di Monte AU - Julie K. Andersen Y1 - 2006/11/08 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/26/45/11644.abstract N2 - The murine mutant weaver (gene symbol, wv) mouse, which carries a mutation in the gene encoding the G-protein inwardly rectifying potassium channel Girk2, exhibits a diverse range of defects as a result of postnatal cell death in several different brain neuron subtypes. Loss of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons in the weaver, unlike cerebellar granule neuronal loss, is via a noncaspase-mediated mechanism. Here, we present data demonstrating that degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in weaver is mediated via neuroinflammation. Furthermore, in vivo administration of the anti-inflammatory agent minocycline attenuates nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration. This has novel implications for the use of the weaver mouse as a model for Parkinson's disease, which has been associated with increased neuroinflammation. ER -