Gao et al. (2018) confirmed that AST can induce the differentiation of NSCs into midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons, possibly through upregulation of sonic hedgehog (Shh), orphan nuclear hormone (Nurr1), and pituitary homeobox 3 (Ptx3), in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Here, PITX3 is linked to Parkinson disease.