ABSTRACT
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system, affecting 1 in 50 people over the age of 60 years. PD is the result of loss of a majority of dopamine (DA) neurons in the midbrain substantia nigra. The basic pathological feature of PD is the formation of intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies, Lewy bodies. So far, what leads to DA neuron degeneration is uncertain. Thirteen familial PD related loci have been identified, including six mutations:α-SYN(PARK1/4), Parkin(PARK2), UCHL1(PARK5), PINK1(PARK6), DJ-1(PARK7) and LRRK2 (PARK8). Drosophila has been widely used in the study of human diseases because of its genetic advantages. The Drosophila DA synthesis is similar to human, and Drosophila DA system is also involved in motion control, so it is generally considered that DA neuron death of Drosophila can be a perfect model of PD. In this article we review the progress of research methods based on Drosophila model in study of mechanisms related to Parkinson's disease.