In the present study the intrastriatal application of Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) was investigated whether it is an appropriate method to treat striatal hypercholinism in Parkinson's disease.
Therefore, healthy rats as well as rats with a hemiparkinsonian syndrome were unilaterally treated with BoNT-A intrastriatally. Furthermore, healthy rats were treated bilaterally with BoNT-A in the striatum.
In hemiparkinsonian rats treated intrastriatally with BoNT-A a pathological rotation behavior under apomorphine influence could be avoided.
It seems that BoNT-A treatment could have a positive effect on parkinsonian symptoms like depression and anxiety. Serious impairment of cognitive abilities after BoNT-A injection was not detected.
A cytotoxic effect could not be measured histologically. Cholinergic and catecholaminergic widenings were observed on nerve fibers after BoNT-A treatment.