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Differential Cellular Balance of Olfactory and Vomeronasal Epithelia in a Transgenic BACHD Rat Model of Huntington's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147625. [PMID: 35886975 PMCID: PMC9316117 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background. For neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease (HD), early diagnosis is essential to treat patients and delay symptoms. Impaired olfaction, as observed as an early symptom in Parkinson´s disease, may also constitute a key symptom in HD. However, there are few reports on olfactory deficits in HD. Therefore, we aimed to investigate, in a transgenic rat model of HD: (1) whether general olfactory impairment exists and (2) whether there are disease-specific dynamics of olfactory dysfunction when the vomeronasal (VNE) and main olfactory epithelium (MOE) are compared. Methods. We used male rats of transgenic line 22 (TG22) of the bacterial artificial chromosome Huntington disease model (BACHD), aged 3 days or 6 months. Cell proliferation, apoptosis and macrophage activity were examined with immunohistochemistry in the VNE and MOE. Results. No differences were observed in cellular parameters in the VNE between the groups. However, the MOE of the 6-month-old HD animals showed a significantly increased number of mature olfactory receptor neurons. Other cellular parameters were not affected. Conclusions. The results obtained in the TG22 line suggest a relative stability in the VNE, whereas the MOE seems at least temporarily affected.
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2
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Lamirault C, Nguyen HP, Doyère V, El Massioui N. Age-related alteration of emotional regulation in the BACHD rat model of Huntington disease. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 19:e12633. [PMID: 31883197 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder, caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the gene encoding the huntingtin protein. At the premanifest phase, before motor symptoms occur, psychiatric and emotional disorders are observed with high prevalence in HD patients. Agitation, anxiety and irritability are often described but also depression and/or apathy, associated with a lack of emotional control. The aim of the present study was to better circumscribe and understand the emotional symptoms and assess their evolution according to the progression of the disease using a transgenic HD model, BACHD rats, at the age of 4, 12 and 18 months. To achieve this goal, we confronted animals to two types of tests: first, tests assessing anxiety like the light/dark box and the conflict test, which are situations that did not involve an obvious threat and tests assessing the reactivity to a present threat using confrontation with an unknown conspecific (social behavior test) or with an aversive stimulus (fear conditioning test). In all animals, results show an age-dependent anxiety-like behavior, particularly marked in situation requiring passive responses (light/dark box and fear conditioning tests). BACHD rats exhibited a more profound alteration than WT animals in these tests from an early stage of the disease whereas, in tasks requiring some kind of motivation (for food or for social contacts), only old BACHD rats showed high anxiety-like behavior compared to WT, may be partly due to the other symptoms' occurrence at this stage: locomotor difficulties and/or apathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Lamirault
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Huu Phuc Nguyen
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Valérie Doyère
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Nicole El Massioui
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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3
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Zlebnik NE, Gildish I, Sesia T, Fitoussi A, Cole EA, Carson BP, Cachope R, Cheer JF. Motivational Impairment is Accompanied by Corticoaccumbal Dysfunction in the BACHD-Tg5 Rat Model of Huntington's Disease. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:4763-4774. [PMID: 30753343 PMCID: PMC7150618 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as avolition, apathy, and anhedonia, precede the onset of debilitating motor symptoms in Huntington's disease (HD), and their development may give insight into early disease progression and treatment. However, the neuronal and circuit mechanisms of premanifest HD pathophysiology are not well-understood. Here, using a transgenic rat model expressing the full-length human mutant HD gene, we find early and profound deficits in reward motivation in the absence of gross motor abnormalities. These deficits are accompanied by significant and progressive dysfunction in corticostriatal processing and communication among brain areas critical for reward-driven behavior. Together, our results define early corticostriatal dysfunction as a possible pathogenic contributor to psychiatric disturbances and may help identify potential pharmacotherapeutic targets for the treatment of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie E Zlebnik
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Iness Gildish
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thibaut Sesia
- Department of Stereotaxy and Functional Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62 Cologne, Germany
| | - Aurelie Fitoussi
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ellen A Cole
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brian P Carson
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Roger Cachope
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD, USA
- CHDI Foundation, 6080 Center Drive, Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joseph F Cheer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD, USA
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4
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Timotius IK, Moceri S, Plank AC, Habermeyer J, Canneva F, Winkler J, Klucken J, Casadei N, Riess O, Eskofier B, von Hörsten S. Silhouette-Length-Scaled Gait Parameters for Motor Functional Analysis in Mice and Rats. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0100-19.2019. [PMID: 31604813 PMCID: PMC6825954 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0100-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Gait analysis of transgenic mice and rats modeling human diseases often suffers from the condition that those models exhibit genotype-driven differences in body size, weight, and length. Thus, we hypothesized that scaling by the silhouette length improves the reliability of gait analysis allowing normalization for individual body size differences. Here, we computed video-derived silhouette length and area parameters from a standard markerless gait analysis system using image-processing techniques. By using length- and area-derived data along with body weight and age, we systematically scaled individual gait parameters. We compared these different scaling approaches and report here that normalization for silhouette length improves the validity and reliability of gait analysis in general. The application of this silhouette length scaling to transgenic Huntington disease mice and Parkinson´s disease rats identifies the remaining differences reflecting more reliable, body length-independent motor functional differences. Overall, this emphasizes the need for silhouette-length-based intra-assay scaling as an improved standard approach in rodent gait analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivanna K Timotius
- Machine Learning and Data Analytics Lab, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91052 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
- Department of Electronics Engineering, Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga 50711, Indonesia
| | - Sandra Moceri
- Department Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen (UKEr) and Preclinical Experimental Animal Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Anne-Christine Plank
- Department Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen (UKEr) and Preclinical Experimental Animal Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Johanna Habermeyer
- Department Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen (UKEr) and Preclinical Experimental Animal Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Fabio Canneva
- Department Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen (UKEr) and Preclinical Experimental Animal Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Winkler
- Department of Molecular Neurology, University Hospital Erlangen (UKEr), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Jochen Klucken
- Department of Molecular Neurology, University Hospital Erlangen (UKEr), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Nicolas Casadei
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Olaf Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Bjoern Eskofier
- Machine Learning and Data Analytics Lab, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91052 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Stephan von Hörsten
- Department Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen (UKEr) and Preclinical Experimental Animal Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
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Heath CJ, O'Callaghan C, Mason SL, Phillips BU, Saksida LM, Robbins TW, Barker RA, Bussey TJ, Sahakian BJ. A Touchscreen Motivation Assessment Evaluated in Huntington's Disease Patients and R6/1 Model Mice. Front Neurol 2019; 10:858. [PMID: 31447770 PMCID: PMC6696591 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Apathy is pervasive across many neuropsychiatric disorders but is poorly characterized mechanistically, so targeted therapeutic interventions remain elusive. A key impediment has been the lack of validated assessment tools to facilitate translation of promising findings between preclinical disease models and patients. Apathy is a common symptom in Huntington's disease. Due to its established genetic basis and the availability of defined animal models, this disease offers a robust translational framework for linking motivated behavior with underlying neurobiology and an ideal context in which to evaluate a quantitative, translational apathy assessment method. In this study we therefore aimed to demonstrate the validity of using touchscreen-delivered progressive ratio tasks to mirror apathy assessment in Huntington's disease patients and a representative mouse model. To do this we evaluated Huntington's disease patients (n = 23) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 20), and male R6/1 mice (n = 23) and wildtype controls (n = 29) for apathy-like behavior using touchscreen-delivered progressive ratio tasks. The primary outcome measure of the assessment was breakpoint, defined as the highest number of touchscreen responses emitted before task engagement ceased. Patients and R6/1 mice were both found to exhibit significantly reduced breakpoints relative to their respective control groups, consistent with apathy-like behavior. This performance was also not associated with motoric differences in either species. These data demonstrate the utility of touchscreen-delivered progressive ratio tasks in detecting clinically relevant motivational deficits in Huntington's disease. This approach may offer a platform from which clinically relevant mechanistic insights concerning motivation symptoms can be derived and provide an effective route for translation of promising preclinical findings into viable therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Heath
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Claire O'Callaghan
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sarah L. Mason
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin U. Phillips
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa M. Saksida
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Trevor W. Robbins
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Roger A. Barker
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy J. Bussey
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Barbara J. Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Clemensson EKH, Clemensson LE, Fabry B, Flunkert S, Riess O, Wronski R, Nguyen HP. Correction: Further investigation of phenotypes and confounding factors of progressive ratio performance and feeding behavior in the BACHD rat model of Huntington disease. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213755. [PMID: 30845257 PMCID: PMC6405079 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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7
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The BACHD rat model of Huntington disease shows slowed learning in a Go/No-Go-like test of visual discrimination. Behav Brain Res 2019; 359:116-126. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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8
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Novati A, Hentrich T, Wassouf Z, Weber JJ, Yu-Taeger L, Déglon N, Nguyen HP, Schulze-Hentrich JM. Environment-dependent striatal gene expression in the BACHD rat model for Huntington disease. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5803. [PMID: 29643462 PMCID: PMC5895842 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24243-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) gene which results in progressive neurodegeneration in the striatum, cortex, and eventually most brain areas. Despite being a monogenic disorder, environmental factors influence HD characteristics. Both human and mouse studies suggest that mutant HTT (mHTT) leads to gene expression changes that harbor potential to be modulated by the environment. Yet, the underlying mechanisms integrating environmental cues into the gene regulatory program have remained largely unclear. To better understand gene-environment interactions in the context of mHTT, we employed RNA-seq to examine effects of maternal separation (MS) and environmental enrichment (EE) on striatal gene expression during development of BACHD rats. We integrated our results with striatal consensus modules defined on HTT-CAG length and age-dependent co-expression gene networks to relate the environmental factors with disease progression. While mHTT was the main determinant of expression changes, both MS and EE were capable of modulating these disturbances, resulting in distinctive and in several cases opposing effects of MS and EE on consensus modules. This bivalent response to maternal separation and environmental enrichment may aid in explaining their distinct effects observed on disease phenotypes in animal models of HD and related neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Novati
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Hentrich
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Zinah Wassouf
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jonasz J Weber
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Libo Yu-Taeger
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nicole Déglon
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DNC), Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Huu Phuc Nguyen
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. .,Department of Human Genetics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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9
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Plank AC, Canneva F, Raber KA, Urbach YK, Dobner J, Puchades M, Bjaalie JG, Gillmann C, Bäuerle T, Riess O, Nguyen HHP, von Hörsten S. Early Alterations in Operant Performance and Prominent Huntingtin Aggregation in a Congenic F344 Rat Line of the Classical CAG n51trunc Model of Huntington Disease. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:11. [PMID: 29422836 PMCID: PMC5788972 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The transgenic rat model of Huntington disease expressing a fragment of mutant HTT (tgHD rat) has been thoroughly characterized and reproduces hallmark symptoms of human adult-onset HD. Pursuing the optimization of this model for evaluation of translational therapeutic approaches, the F344 inbred rat strain was considered as advantageous genetic background for the expression of the HD transgenic construct. In the present study, a novel congenic line of the SPRDtgHD transgenic model of HD, carrying 51 CAG repeats, was generated on the F344 rat genetic background. To assess the behavioral phenotype, classical assays investigating motor function, emotion, and sensorimotor gating were applied, along with automated screening of metabolic and activity parameters as well as operant conditioning tasks. The neuropathological phenotype was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging. F344tgHD rats displayed markedly reduced anxiety-like behavior in the social interaction test and elevated impulsivity traits already at 3 months of age. Neuropathologically, reduced striatal volume and pronounced aggregation of mutant huntingtin in several brain regions were detected at later disease stage. In conclusion, the congenic F344tgHD model reproduces key aspects of the human HD phenotype, substantiating its value for translational therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Christine Plank
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, University Clinics Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Fabio Canneva
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, University Clinics Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Kerstin A Raber
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, University Clinics Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yvonne K Urbach
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, University Clinics Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Julia Dobner
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, University Clinics Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maja Puchades
- Neural Systems Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jan G Bjaalie
- Neural Systems Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Clarissa Gillmann
- Preclinical Imaging Platform Erlangen, Institute of Radiology, University Clinics Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Tobias Bäuerle
- Preclinical Imaging Platform Erlangen, Institute of Radiology, University Clinics Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Olaf Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University Clinics Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Hoa H P Nguyen
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University Clinics Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Stephan von Hörsten
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, University Clinics Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
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Manfré G, Clemensson EKH, Kyriakou EI, Clemensson LE, van der Harst JE, Homberg JR, Nguyen HP. The BACHD Rat Model of Huntington Disease Shows Specific Deficits in a Test Battery of Motor Function. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:218. [PMID: 29163089 PMCID: PMC5675855 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Huntington disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor, cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. HD is usually diagnosed by the appearance of motor deficits, resulting in skilled hand use disruption, gait abnormality, muscle wasting and choreatic movements. The BACHD transgenic rat model for HD represents a well-established transgenic rodent model of HD, offering the prospect of an in-depth characterization of the motor phenotype. Objective: The present study aims to characterize different aspects of motor function in BACHD rats, combining classical paradigms with novel high-throughput behavioral phenotyping. Methods: Wild-type (WT) and transgenic animals were tested longitudinally from 2 to 12 months of age. To measure fine motor control, rats were challenged with the pasta handling test and the pellet reaching test. To evaluate gross motor function, animals were assessed by using the holding bar and the grip strength tests. Spontaneous locomotor activity and circadian rhythmicity were assessed in an automated home-cage environment, namely the PhenoTyper. We then integrated existing classical methodologies to test motor function with automated home-cage assessment of motor performance. Results: BACHD rats showed strong impairment in muscle endurance at 2 months of age. Altered circadian rhythmicity and locomotor activity were observed in transgenic animals. On the other hand, reaching behavior, forepaw dexterity and muscle strength were unaffected. Conclusions: The BACHD rat model exhibits certain features of HD patients, like muscle weakness and changes in circadian behavior. We have observed modest but clear-cut deficits in distinct motor phenotypes, thus confirming the validity of this transgenic rat model for treatment and drug discovery purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Manfré
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Noldus Information Technology BV, Wageningen, Netherlands.,Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Erik K H Clemensson
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Centre of Rare Diseases, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Elisavet I Kyriakou
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Noldus Information Technology BV, Wageningen, Netherlands.,Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Laura E Clemensson
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Centre of Rare Diseases, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Johanneke E van der Harst
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Noldus Information Technology BV, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Judith R Homberg
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Huu Phuc Nguyen
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Centre of Rare Diseases, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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