Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, striatal dopamine deficiency, and the accumulation of intracellular α-synuclein aggregates. This study employed induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to generate dopaminergic neurons from somatic cells of both PD patients and healthy controls. The results demonstrate that patient-derived neurons show elevated expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1), which correlates with altered synaptic plasticity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired Rac1 and FAK2 signaling. These findings suggest that VCAM1 plays a pivotal role in PD pathogenesis, and may serve as a potential therapeutic target. [BMB Reports 2025; 58(5): 217-223].