The article discusses research being done on the neuroprotective role of α-synuclein in a progressive neurodegenerative mouse model caused by the deletion of cysteine-string protein-α (CSPα). It references a study by S. Chandra et al published in a 2005 issue of "Cell." The deletion of CSPα results in early-onset neurodegeneration and lethality in mice. The study investigated whether endogenous synucleins might partially protect against an even more severe phenotype.