scholarly journals Transgenic Rat Model of Huntington’s Disease: A Histopathological Study and Correlations with Neurodegenerative Process in the Brain of HD Patients

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvona Mazurová ◽  
Miroslava Anderova ◽  
Ivana Němečková ◽  
Aleš Bezrouk
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Neuronal Degeneration ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Histopathological Study ◽  
Transgenic Rat ◽  
Neurodegenerative Process ◽  
The Brain

Rats transgenic for Huntington’s disease (tgHD51 CAG rats), surviving up to two years, represent an animal model of HD similar to the late-onset form of human disease. This enables us to follow histopathological changes in course of neurodegenerative process (NDP) within the striatum and compare them with postmortem samples of human HD brains. A basic difference between HD pathology in human and tgHD51 rats is in the rate of NDP progression that originates primarily from slow neuronal degeneration consequently resulting in lesser extent of concomitant reactive gliosis in the brain of tgHD51 rats. Although larger amount of striatal neurons displays only gradual decrease in their size, their number is significantly reduced in the oldest tgHD51 rats. Our quantitative analysis proved that the end of the first year represents the turn in the development of morphological changes related to the progression of NDP in tgHD51 rats. Our data also support the view that all types of CNS glial cells play an important, irreplaceable role in NDP. To the best of our knowledge, our findings are the first to document that tgHD51 CAG rats can be used as a valid animal model for detailed histopathological studies related to HD in human.

Curcumin dietary supplementation ameliorates disease phenotype in an animal model of Huntington’s disease.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Elifani ◽  
E Amico ◽  
G Pepe ◽  
L Capocci ◽  
S Castaldo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Body Weight Loss ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Human Pathology ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Huntington’s disease (HD) has traditionally been described as a disorder purely of the brain, however evidence indicates that peripheral abnormalities are also commonly seen. Among others, severe unintended body weight loss represents a prevalent and often debilitating feature of HD pathology, with no therapies available. It correlates with disease progression and significantly affects the quality of life of HD patients. Curcumin, a naturally occurring polyphenol with multiple therapeutic properties, has been validated to exert important beneficial effects under health conditions as well as in different pathological settings, including neurodegenerative and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Here, we investigated the potential therapeutic action that curcumin-supplemented diet may exert on central and peripheral dysfunctions in R6/2 mice, a well-characterized HD animal model which recapitulates some features of human pathology. Maintenance of normal motor function, protection from neuropathology and from GI dysfunction, preservation of GI emptying, and conserved intestinal contractility, proved the beneficial role of life-long dietary curcumin in HD and corroborated the potential of the compound to be exploited to alleviate very debilitating symptoms associated with the disease.

scholarly journals The Role of Pretraining on Skilled Forelimb Use in an Animal Model of Huntington's Disease

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Fricker-Gates ◽  
R. Smith ◽  
J. Muhith ◽  
S. B. Dunnett
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease

Huntington's disease and its animal model: Alterations in kainic acid binding

Life Sciences ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 809-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Beaumont ◽  
Yves Maurin ◽  
Terry D. Reisine ◽  
Jeremy Z. Fields ◽  
Ernest Spokes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Kainic Acid

Electrophysiological and Morphological Changes in Striatal Spiny Neurons in R6/2 Huntington's Disease Transgenic Mice

2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 2667-2677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria J. Klapstein ◽  
Robin S. Fisher ◽  
Hadi Zanjani ◽  
Carlos Cepeda ◽  
Eve S. Jokel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Cag Repeats ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Striatal Neurons ◽  
Spiny Neurons ◽  
Active Membrane

We examined passive and active membrane properties and synaptic responses of medium-sized spiny striatal neurons in brain slices from presymptomatic (∼40 days of age) and symptomatic (∼90 days of age) R6/2 transgenics, a mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD) and their age-matched wild-type (WT) controls. This transgenic expresses exon 1 of the human HD gene with ∼150 CAG repeats and displays a progressive behavioral phenotype associated with numerous neuronal alterations. Intracellular recordings were obtained using standard techniques from R6/2 and age-matched WT mice. Few electrophysiological changes occurred in striatal neurons from presymptomatic R6/2 mice. The changes in this age group were increased neuronal input resistance and lower stimulus intensity to evoke action potentials (rheobase). Symptomatic R6/2 mice exhibited numerous electrophysiological alterations, including depolarized resting membrane potentials, increased input resistances, decreased membrane time constants, and alterations in action potentials. Increased stimulus intensities were required to evoke excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in neurons from symptomatic R6/2 transgenics. These EPSPs had slower rise times and did not decay back to baseline by 45 ms, suggesting a more prominent component mediated by activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. Neurons from both pre- and symptomatic R6/2 mice exhibited reduced paired-pulse facilitation. Data from biocytin-filled or Golgi-impregnated neurons demonstrated decreased dendritic spine densities, smaller diameters of dendritic shafts, and smaller dendritic fields in symptomatic R6/2 mice. Taken together, these findings indicate that passive and active membrane and synaptic properties of medium-sized spiny neurons are altered in the R6/2 transgenic. These physiological and morphological alterations will affect communication in the basal ganglia circuitry. Furthermore, they suggest areas to target for pharmacotherapies to alleviate and reduce the symptoms of HD.

scholarly journals Huntington's Disease: An Immune Perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annapurna Nayak ◽  
Rafia Ansar ◽  
Sunil K. Verma ◽  
Domenico Marco Bonifati ◽  
Uday Kishore
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Typical Feature ◽  
Trinucleotide Repeats ◽  
Mutant Huntingtin Protein ◽  
Unexplored Area ◽  
Cag Trinucleotide Repeats ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Abnormal Expansion

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by abnormal expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeats. Neuroinflammation is a typical feature of most neurodegenerative diseases that leads to an array of pathological changes within the affected areas in the brain. The neurodegeneration in HD is also caused by aberrant immune response in the presence of aggregated mutant huntingtin protein. The effects of immune activation in HD nervous system are a relatively unexplored area of research. This paper summarises immunological features associated with development and progression of HD.

scholarly journals Transplants of Adult Mesenchymal and Neural Stem Cells Provide Neuroprotection and Behavioral Sparing in a Transgenic Rat Model of Huntington's Disease

Stem Cells ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 500-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Rossignol ◽  
Kyle Fink ◽  
Kendra Davis ◽  
Steven Clerc ◽  
Andrew Crane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Neural Stem Cells ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Rat Model ◽  
Transgenic Rat ◽  
Transgenic Rat Model

scholarly journals Insights into kinetics, release, and behavioral effects of brain-targeted hybrid nanoparticles for cholesterol delivery in Huntington’s disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Birolini ◽  
Marta Valenza ◽  
Ilaria Ottonelli ◽  
Alice Passoni ◽  
Monica Favagrossa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Polymeric Nanoparticles ◽  
Cholesterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Hybrid Nanoparticles ◽  
Neural Cells ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Brain Cholesterol ◽  
The Brain

AbstractSupplementing brain cholesterol is emerging as a potential treatment for Huntington’s disease (HD), a genetic neurodegenerative disorder characterized, among other abnormalities, by inefficient brain cholesterol biosynthesis. However, delivering cholesterol to the brain is challenging due to the bloodbrain barrier (BBB), which prevents it from reaching the striatum, especially, with therapeutically relevant doses.Here we describe the distribution, kinetics, release, and safety of novel hybrid polymeric nanoparticles made of PLGA and cholesterol which were modified with an heptapeptide (g7) for BBB transit (hybrid-g7-NPs-chol). We show that these NPs rapidly reach the brain and target neural cells. Moreover, deuterium-labeled cholesterol from hybrid-g7-NPs-chol is released in a controlled manner within the brain and accumulates over time, while being rapidly removed from peripheral tissues and plasma. We confirm that systemic and repeated injections of the new hybrid-g7-NPs-chol enhanced endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis, prevented cognitive decline, and ameliorated motor defects in HD animals, without any inflammatory reaction.In summary, this study provides insights about the benefits and safety of cholesterol delivery through advanced brain-permeable nanoparticles for HD treatment.

scholarly journals Non-Cell Autonomous and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Huntington’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 12499
Author(s):  
Chaebin Kim ◽  
Ali Yousefian-Jazi ◽  
Seung-Hye Choi ◽  
Inyoung Chang ◽  
Junghee Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Trinucleotide Repeat ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Involuntary Movement ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Exon 1 ◽  
Human Chromosome 4 ◽  
The Brain

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeat located in the exon 1 of Huntingtin (HTT) gene in human chromosome 4. The HTT protein is ubiquitously expressed in the brain. Specifically, mutant HTT (mHTT) protein-mediated toxicity leads to a dramatic degeneration of the striatum among many regions of the brain. HD symptoms exhibit a major involuntary movement followed by cognitive and psychiatric dysfunctions. In this review, we address the conventional role of wild type HTT (wtHTT) and how mHTT protein disrupts the function of medium spiny neurons (MSNs). We also discuss how mHTT modulates epigenetic modifications and transcriptional pathways in MSNs. In addition, we define how non-cell autonomous pathways lead to damage and death of MSNs under HD pathological conditions. Lastly, we overview therapeutic approaches for HD. Together, understanding of precise neuropathological mechanisms of HD may improve therapeutic approaches to treat the onset and progression of HD.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document