Parkinson's disease pathophysiology includes degeneration of which neurons in which brain region?

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Dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta disrupts the nigrostriatal pathway, which is essential for initiating and regulating movement. As dopamine declines in the striatum, the direct pathway (which promotes movement) is less stimulated and the indirect pathway (which inhibits movement) becomes relatively overactive. This shift reduces thalamocortical excitation, producing the hallmark motor features of Parkinson’s disease—bradykinesia, rigidity, and resting tremor. The other neuron types listed (GABAergic neurons in the basal ganglia, serotonin neurons in the raphe nuclei, and norepinephrine neurons in the locus coeruleus) are involved in various aspects of brain function and nonmotor symptoms, but the primary pathophysiology driving classical Parkinsonian motor symptoms is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra.