Huntington’s disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder, characterised by atrophy of the neostriatum, and cortical grey matter abnormalities. White matter (WM) alterations have recently been identified as a relevant pathophysiological feature of HD, but the etiology of WM degeneration, and its role in disease pathogenesis and progression remain unclear. An increasing body of research suggests that WM changes in HD are due to alterations in myelin-associated biological processes at the cellular and molecular level. This review first discusses evidence from neurochemical studies lending support to the ‘De-myelination hypothesis’ of HD, and pointing towards a role for aberrant myelination and changes in oligodendrocytes in HD WM. Next, evidence from neuroimaging studies is reviewed, the limitations of the described methodologies are discussed and suggested interpretations of findings from published studies are challenged. Although our understanding of HD-associated pathological changes in the brain will increasingly rely on neuroimaging techniques, the shortcomings of these methodologies must not be forgotten. Advances in MRI techniques and tissue modeling will enable a better characterization of the biological properties of WM microstructure, and will allow more specific monitoring of longitudinal changes noninvasively. This, in turn, will provide insight into disease pathogenesis and progression and facilitate the identification of disease-related biomarkers and the specification of outcome measures in clinical trials.
Isolation and Characterization of Phages Active against Paenibacillus larvae Causing American Foulbrood in Honeybees in Poland
