CASP3 and Parkinson disease: Furthermore, we investigated the endogenous competition between circSNCA and SNCA mRNA and found that circSNCA was a ceRNA of miR-7 in PD, binding with miR-7 and upregulating its target gene, SNCA. Additionally, the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (CASP3, BAX, PTEN and P53) was reduced, while that of anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 and autophagy-related protein LC3B-II was increased with the downregulation of circSNCA, revealing the inhibition of apoptosis and the promotion of autophagy in PD.