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Recent work showed that neurons from the SNc possess intrinsic characteristics that result in metabolic differences, related to their intricate morphology, that render them more susceptible to degeneration. In particular, these neurons have an elevated basal energy metabolism, that is required to fulfill the demands of the constant firing of action potentials, but at the same time, is associated to higher ROS production, compared to VTA cells. Finally, we discuss how mutations related to PD affect metabolic pathways, and the related mechanisms, as revealed by metabolomics.
Flores-Ponce et al. (Sun,) studied this question.