Mitochondrial defects in dopaminergic neurons (DA) of the substantia nigra (SN) have been frequently reported in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). To elucidate the contribution of mitochondrial disfunctions to PD we used a mouse model allowing conditional ablation of Mitofusin 2 (MFN2) in adult DA. The membrane protein MFN2 has been earlier implicated in mitochondrial dynamics.