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Badini F, Mirshekar MA, Shahraki S, Fanaei H, Bayrami A. Neuroprotective effects of levothyroxine on cognition deficits and memory in an experimental model of Huntington's disease in rats: An electrophysiological study. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024; 397:5939-5951. [PMID: 38372755 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-024-03006-w] [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: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive deficits and motor function. Levothyroxine (L-T4) is a synthetic form of Thyroxine (T4), which can improve cognitive ability. The aim of the present study was to determine the neuroprotective effect of L-T4 administration in rats with 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP)-induced Huntington's disease. Forty-eight Wistar male rats were divided into six groups (n = 8): Group 1 control group that received physiological saline, Group 2 and 3: which received L-T4 (30 and 100 μg/kg), Group 4: HD group that received 3-NP and Groups 5 and 6: The treatment of the HD rats with L-T4 (30 and 100 μg/kg). Spatial memory, locomotor activity, and frequency of neuronal firing were assessed. After decapitation, the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels in the striatum was measured. The results showed that the indices of spatial memory (mean path length and latency time) and motor dysfunction (immobility time) significantly increased, while time spent in the goal quadrant, swimming speed, spike rate, and striatum levels of BDNF significantly decreased in the HD group compared to the control group. L-T4 treatment significantly enhanced time spent in the goal quadrant, swimming speed, motor activity (number of line crossing and rearing), spike rate and striatal BDNF level. This research showed that L-T4 prevented the disruption of motor activity and cognitive deficiencies induced by 3-NP. The beneficial effects of L-T4 may be due to an increase in the concentration of BDNF and enhancement of the spike rate in the striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fereshteh Badini
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Mirshekar
- Clinical Immunology Research Center, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
| | - Samira Shahraki
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Hamed Fanaei
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Pregnancy Health Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Abolfazl Bayrami
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
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Ikefuama EC, Slaviero AN, Schalau R, Gott M, Tree MO, Dunbar GL, Rossignol J, Hochgeschwender U. Presymptomatic Targeted Circuit Manipulation for Ameliorating Huntington's Disease Pathogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.24.604946. [PMID: 39091860 PMCID: PMC11291159 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.24.604946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Early stages of Huntington's disease (HD) before the onset of motor and cognitive symptoms are characterized by imbalanced excitatory and inhibitory output from the cortex to striatal and subcortical structures. The window before the onset of symptoms presents an opportunity to adjust the firing rate within microcircuits with the goal of restoring the impaired E/I balance, thereby preventing or slowing down disease progression. Here, we investigated the effect of presymptomatic cell-type specific manipulation of activity of pyramidal neurons and parvalbumin interneurons in the M1 motor cortex on disease progression in the R6/2 HD mouse model. Our results show that dampening excitation of Emx1 pyramidal neurons or increasing activity of parvalbumin interneurons once daily for 3 weeks during the pre-symptomatic phase alleviated HD-related motor coordination dysfunction. Cell-type-specific modulation to normalize the net output of the cortex is a potential therapeutic avenue for HD and other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebenezer C. Ikefuama
- Program in Neuroscience, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Ashley N. Slaviero
- Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Raegan Schalau
- Program in Neuroscience, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Madison Gott
- Program in Neuroscience, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Maya O. Tree
- College of Medicine, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Gary L. Dunbar
- Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Julien Rossignol
- Program in Neuroscience, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
- Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
- College of Medicine, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Ute Hochgeschwender
- Program in Neuroscience, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
- Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
- College of Medicine, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
- Lead Contact
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Rodríguez-Urgellés E, Casas-Torremocha D, Sancho-Balsells A, Ballasch I, García-García E, Miquel-Rio L, Manasanch A, Del Castillo I, Chen W, Pupak A, Brito V, Tornero D, Rodríguez MJ, Bortolozzi A, Sanchez-Vives MV, Giralt A, Alberch J. Thalamic Foxp2 regulates output connectivity and sensory-motor impairments in a model of Huntington's Disease. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:367. [PMID: 37987826 PMCID: PMC10663254 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05015-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's Disease (HD) is a disorder that affects body movements. Altered glutamatergic innervation of the striatum is a major hallmark of the disease. Approximately 30% of those glutamatergic inputs come from thalamic nuclei. Foxp2 is a transcription factor involved in cell differentiation and reported low in patients with HD. However, the role of the Foxp2 in the thalamus in HD remains unexplored. METHODS We used two different mouse models of HD, the R6/1 and the HdhQ111 mice, to demonstrate a consistent thalamic Foxp2 reduction in the context of HD. We used in vivo electrophysiological recordings, microdialysis in behaving mice and rabies virus-based monosynaptic tracing to study thalamo-striatal and thalamo-cortical synaptic connectivity in R6/1 mice. Micro-structural synaptic plasticity was also evaluated in the striatum and cortex of R6/1 mice. We over-expressed Foxp2 in the thalamus of R6/1 mice or reduced Foxp2 in the thalamus of wild type mice to evaluate its role in sensory and motor skills deficiencies, as well as thalamo-striatal and thalamo-cortical connectivity in such mouse models. RESULTS Here, we demonstrate in a HD mouse model a clear and early thalamo-striatal aberrant connectivity associated with a reduction of thalamic Foxp2 levels. Recovering thalamic Foxp2 levels in the mouse rescued motor coordination and sensory skills concomitant with an amelioration of neuropathological features and with a repair of the structural and functional connectivity through a restoration of neurotransmitter release. In addition, reduction of thalamic Foxp2 levels in wild type mice induced HD-like phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, we show that a novel identified thalamic Foxp2 dysregulation alters basal ganglia circuits implicated in the pathophysiology of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ened Rodríguez-Urgellés
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Anna Sancho-Balsells
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Iván Ballasch
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Esther García-García
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lluis Miquel-Rio
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Networking Center for Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Arnau Manasanch
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Del Castillo
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Wanqi Chen
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Anika Pupak
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Veronica Brito
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Tornero
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies (Creatio), University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel J Rodríguez
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Analia Bortolozzi
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Networking Center for Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria V Sanchez-Vives
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Giralt
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies (Creatio), University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Jordi Alberch
- Facultat de Medicina, Departament de Biomedicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies (Creatio), University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
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Barry J, Peng A, Levine MS, Cepeda C. Calcium imaging: A versatile tool to examine Huntington's disease mechanisms and progression. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:1040113. [PMID: 36408400 PMCID: PMC9669372 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1040113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal, hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that causes chorea, cognitive deficits, and psychiatric symptoms. It is characterized by accumulation of mutant Htt protein, which primarily impacts striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs), as well as cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs), causing synapse loss and eventually cell death. Perturbed Ca2+ homeostasis is believed to play a major role in HD, as altered Ca2+ homeostasis often precedes striatal dysfunction and manifestation of HD symptoms. In addition, dysregulation of Ca2+ can cause morphological and functional changes in MSNs and CPNs. Therefore, Ca2+ imaging techniques have the potential of visualizing changes in Ca2+ dynamics and neuronal activity in HD animal models. This minireview focuses on studies using diverse Ca2+ imaging techniques, including two-photon microscopy, fiber photometry, and miniscopes, in combination of Ca2+ indicators to monitor activity of neurons in HD models as the disease progresses. We then discuss the future applications of Ca2+ imaging to visualize disease mechanisms and alterations associated with HD, as well as studies showing how, as a proof-of-concept, Ca2+imaging using miniscopes in freely-behaving animals can help elucidate the differential role of direct and indirect pathway MSNs in HD symptoms.
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5
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Callahan JW, Wokosin DL, Bevan MD. Dysregulation of the Basal Ganglia Indirect Pathway in Early Symptomatic Q175 Huntington's Disease Mice. J Neurosci 2022; 42:2080-2102. [PMID: 35058372 PMCID: PMC8916764 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0782-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The debilitating psychomotor symptoms of Huntington's disease (HD) are linked partly to degeneration of the basal ganglia indirect pathway. At early symptomatic stages, before major cell loss, indirect pathway neurons exhibit numerous cellular and synaptic changes in HD and its models. However, the impact of these alterations on circuit activity remains poorly understood. To address this gap, optogenetic- and reporter-guided electrophysiological interrogation was used in early symptomatic male and female Q175 HD mice. D2 dopamine receptor-expressing striatal projection neurons (D2-SPNs) were hypoactive during synchronous cortical slow-wave activity, consistent with known reductions in dendritic excitability and cortical input strength. Downstream prototypic parvalbumin-expressing external globus pallidus (PV+ GPe) neurons discharged at 2-3 times their normal rate, even during periods of D2-SPN inactivity, arguing that defective striatopallidal inhibition was not the only cause of their hyperactivity. Indeed, PV+ GPe neurons also exhibited abnormally elevated autonomous firing ex vivo Optogenetic inhibition of PV+ GPe neurons in vivo partially and fully ameliorated the abnormal hypoactivity of postsynaptic subthalamic nucleus (STN) and putative PV- GPe neurons, respectively. In contrast to STN neurons whose autonomous firing is impaired in HD mice, putative PV- GPe neuron activity was unaffected ex vivo, implying that excessive inhibition was responsible for their hypoactivity in vivo Together with previous studies, these data demonstrate that (1) indirect pathway nuclei are dysregulated in Q175 mice through changes in presynaptic activity and/or intrinsic cellular and synaptic properties; and (2) prototypic PV+ GPe neuron hyperactivity and excessive target inhibition are prominent features of early HD pathophysiology.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The early symptoms of Huntington's disease (HD) are linked to degenerative changes in the action-suppressing indirect pathway of the basal ganglia. Consistent with this linkage, the intrinsic properties of cells in this pathway exhibit complex alterations in HD and its models. However, the impact of these changes on activity is poorly understood. Using electrophysiological and optogenetic approaches, we demonstrate that the indirect pathway is highly dysregulated in early symptomatic HD mice through changes in upstream activity and/or intrinsic properties. Furthermore, we reveal that hyperactivity of external globus pallidus neurons and excessive inhibition of their targets are key features of early HD pathophysiology. Together, these findings could help to inform the development and targeting of viral-based, gene therapeutic approaches for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua W Callahan
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - David L Wokosin
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611
| | - Mark D Bevan
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611
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6
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Rebec GV, Koceja DM, Bunner KD. Measuring Movement in Health and Disease. Brain Res Bull 2022; 181:167-174. [PMID: 35122899 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Evaluating and quantifying the many aspects of movement -- from open-field locomotion and stepping patterns in rodent models to stride trajectory and postural sway in human patients -- are key to understanding brain function. Various experimental approaches have been used in applying these lines of research to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disease. Although valuable, data on movement are often limited by the shortcomings inherent in the data collection process itself. Steve Fowler and his research group have been instrumental in pioneering a technology that both minimizes these pitfalls in studies of rodent behavior and has applications to research on human patients. At the center of this technology is the force-plate actometer, developed by the Fowler group to assess multiple aspects of movement in rodent models. Our review highlights how use of the actometer and related behavioral measurements provides valuable insight into Huntington's disease (HD), an autosomal dominant condition of progressively deteriorating behavioral control. HD typically emerges in mid-life and has been replicated in multiple genetically engineered mouse models. The actometer also can be a valuable addition to cutting-edge neuronal and synaptic technologies that are now increasingly applied to studies of behaving animals. In short, the impact of the Fowler contribution to the neuroscience of movement is both meaningful and ongoing.
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Affiliation(s)
- George V Rebec
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States; Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States.
| | - David M Koceja
- Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States; Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Kendra D Bunner
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
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Barry J, Bui MTN, Levine MS, Cepeda C. Synaptic pathology in Huntington's disease: Beyond the corticostriatal pathway. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 162:105574. [PMID: 34848336 PMCID: PMC9328779 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a heritable, fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the Huntingtin gene. It is characterized by chorea, as well as cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Histopathologically, there is a massive loss of striatal projection neurons and less but significant loss in other areas throughout the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical (CBGTC) loop. The mutant huntingtin protein has been implicated in numerous functions, including an important role in synaptic transmission. Most studies on anatomical and physiological alterations in HD have focused on striatum and cerebral cortex. However, based on recent CBGTC projectome evidence, the need to study other pathways has become increasingly clear. In this review, we examine the current status of our knowledge of morphological and electrophysiological alterations of those pathways in animal models of HD. Based on recent studies, there is accumulating evidence that synaptic disconnection, particularly along excitatory pathways, is pervasive and almost universal in HD, thus supporting a critical role of the huntingtin protein in synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Barry
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Minh T N Bui
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Levine
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carlos Cepeda
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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8
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Kaye J, Reisine T, Finkbeiner S. Huntington's disease mouse models: unraveling the pathology caused by CAG repeat expansion. Fac Rev 2021; 10:77. [PMID: 34746930 PMCID: PMC8546598 DOI: 10.12703/r/10-77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease that results in motor and cognitive dysfunction, leading to early death. HD is caused by an expansion of CAG repeats in the huntingtin gene (HTT). Here, we review the mouse models of HD. They have been used extensively to better understand the molecular and cellular basis of disease pathogenesis as well as to provide non-human subjects to test the efficacy of potential therapeutics. The first and best-studied in vivo rodent model of HD is the R6/2 mouse, in which a transgene containing the promoter and exon 1 fragment of human HTT with 150 CAG repeats was inserted into the mouse genome. R6/2 mice express rapid, robust behavioral pathologies and display a number of degenerative abnormalities in neuronal populations most vulnerable in HD. The first conditional full-length mutant huntingtin (mHTT) mouse model of HD was the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mouse model of HD (BACHD), which expresses human full-length mHTT with a mixture of 97 CAG-CAA repeats under the control of endogenous HTT regulatory machinery. It has been useful in identifying the role of mHTT in specific neuronal populations in degenerative processes. In the knock-in (KI) model of HD, the expanded human CAG repeats and human exon 1 are inserted into the mouse Htt locus, so a chimera of the full-length mouse protein with the N-terminal human portion is expressed. Many of aspects of the pathology and behavioral deficits in the KI model better mimic disease characteristics found in HD patients than other models. Accordingly, some have proposed that these mice may be preferable models of the disease over others. Indeed, as our understanding of HD advances, so will the design of animal models to test and develop HD therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Kaye
- Center for Systems and Therapeutics, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Terry Reisine
- Independent Scientific Consultant, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Steve Finkbeiner
- Center for Systems and Therapeutics, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Taube/Koret Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology and Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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9
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Cepeda C, Levine MS. Synaptic Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease: Lessons from Genetic Animal Models. Neuroscientist 2020; 28:20-40. [PMID: 33198566 DOI: 10.1177/1073858420972662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The understanding of the functional and structural changes occurring in the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia in Huntington's disease (HD) has benefited considerably from the generation of genetic animal models. Most studies of synaptic alterations in HD models have focused on the striatum, but a more complete picture of synaptic dysfunction in the cortico-basal ganglia-cortical loop is emerging. Here, we provide a review and analysis of current developments in the study of synaptic alterations in these areas using HD rodent models. Recent evidence indicates that cortical maldevelopment plays a role in synaptic dysfunction along the corticostriatal pathway that may have its roots in the way mutant huntingtin interacts with synaptic proteins. Furthermore, a progressive disconnection in the corticostriatal pathway leads to abnormal function engaging extrasynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors that contribute to eventual cell degeneration. In addition, biphasic increases followed by decreases in glutamate and dopamine release in the striatum could explain contrasting symptomatology in early and late stages of the disease. Changes in striatal output regions also are beginning to be examined. Finally, we highlight some therapeutic avenues aimed at rescuing synaptic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Cepeda
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Levine
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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10
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Flores-Dorantes MT, Díaz-López YE, Gutiérrez-Aguilar R. Environment and Gene Association With Obesity and Their Impact on Neurodegenerative and Neurodevelopmental Diseases. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:863. [PMID: 32982666 PMCID: PMC7483585 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a multifactorial disease in which environmental conditions and several genes play an important role in the development of this disease. Obesity is associated with neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer, Parkinson, and Huntington diseases) and with neurodevelopmental diseases (autism disorder, schizophrenia, and fragile X syndrome). Some of the environmental conditions that lead to obesity are physical activity, alcohol consumption, socioeconomic status, parent feeding behavior, and diet. Interestingly, some of these environmental conditions are shared with neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases. Obesity impairs neurodevelopment abilities as memory and fine-motor skills. Moreover, maternal obesity affects the cognitive function and mental health of the offspring. The common biological mechanisms involved in obesity and neurodegenerative/neurodevelopmental diseases are insulin resistance, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative damage, among others, leading to impaired brain development or cell death. Obesogenic environmental conditions are not the only factors that influence neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases. In fact, several genes implicated in the leptin-melanocortin pathway (LEP, LEPR, POMC, BDNF, MC4R, PCSK1, SIM1, BDNF, TrkB, etc.) are associated with obesity and neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases. Moreover, in the last decades, the discovery of new genes associated with obesity (FTO, NRXN3, NPC1, NEGR1, MTCH2, GNPDA2, among others) and with neurodegenerative or neurodevelopmental diseases (APOE, CD38, SIRT1, TNFα, PAI-1, TREM2, SYT4, FMR1, TET3, among others) had opened new pathways to comprehend the common mechanisms involved in these diseases. In conclusion, the obesogenic environmental conditions, the genes, and the interaction gene-environment would lead to a better understanding of the etiology of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Teresa Flores-Dorantes
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Farmacogenómica, Centro de Investigación de Ciencia y Tecnología Aplicada de Tabasco, División Académica de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Mexico
| | - Yael Efren Díaz-López
- Laboratorio de Enfermedades Metabólicas: Obesidad y Diabetes, Hospital Infantil de México “Federico Gómez,”Mexico City, Mexico
- División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ruth Gutiérrez-Aguilar
- Laboratorio de Enfermedades Metabólicas: Obesidad y Diabetes, Hospital Infantil de México “Federico Gómez,”Mexico City, Mexico
- División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
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11
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Ponzi A, Barton SJ, Bunner KD, Rangel-Barajas C, Zhang ES, Miller BR, Rebec GV, Kozloski J. Striatal network modeling in Huntington's Disease. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1007648. [PMID: 32302302 PMCID: PMC7197869 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) comprise over 90% of cells in the striatum. In vivo MSNs display coherent burst firing cell assembly activity patterns, even though isolated MSNs do not burst fire intrinsically. This activity is important for the learning and execution of action sequences and is characteristically dysregulated in Huntington's Disease (HD). However, how dysregulation is caused by the various neural pathologies affecting MSNs in HD is unknown. Previous modeling work using simple cell models has shown that cell assembly activity patterns can emerge as a result of MSN inhibitory network interactions. Here, by directly estimating MSN network model parameters from single unit spiking data, we show that a network composed of much more physiologically detailed MSNs provides an excellent quantitative fit to wild type (WT) mouse spiking data, but only when network parameters are appropriate for the striatum. We find the WT MSN network is situated in a regime close to a transition from stable to strongly fluctuating network dynamics. This regime facilitates the generation of low-dimensional slowly varying coherent activity patterns and confers high sensitivity to variations in cortical driving. By re-estimating the model on HD spiking data we discover network parameter modifications are consistent across three very different types of HD mutant mouse models (YAC128, Q175, R6/2). In striking agreement with the known pathophysiology we find feedforward excitatory drive is reduced in HD compared to WT mice, while recurrent inhibition also shows phenotype dependency. We show that these modifications shift the HD MSN network to a sub-optimal regime where higher dimensional incoherent rapidly fluctuating activity predominates. Our results provide insight into a diverse range of experimental findings in HD, including cognitive and motor symptoms, and may suggest new avenues for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Ponzi
- IBM Research, Computational Biology Center, Thomas J. Watson Research Laboratories, Yorktown Heights, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Scott J. Barton
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Kendra D. Bunner
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Claudia Rangel-Barajas
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Emily S. Zhang
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Benjamin R. Miller
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - George V. Rebec
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - James Kozloski
- IBM Research, Computational Biology Center, Thomas J. Watson Research Laboratories, Yorktown Heights, New York, United States of America
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12
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Donzis EJ, Estrada-Sánchez AM, Indersmitten T, Oikonomou K, Tran CH, Wang C, Latifi S, Golshani P, Cepeda C, Levine MS. Cortical Network Dynamics Is Altered in Mouse Models of Huntington's Disease. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:2372-2388. [PMID: 31761935 PMCID: PMC7174987 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by involuntary movements, cognitive deficits, and psychiatric disturbances. Although evidence indicates that projections from motor cortical areas play a key role in the development of dysfunctional striatal activity and motor phenotype, little is known about the changes in cortical microcircuits and their role in the development of the HD phenotype. Here we used two-photon laser-scanning microscopy to evaluate network dynamics of motor cortical neurons in layers II/III in behaving transgenic R6/2 and knock-in Q175+/- mice. Symptomatic R6/2 mice displayed increased motion manifested by a significantly greater number of motion epochs, whereas symptomatic Q175 mice displayed decreased motion. In both models, calcium transients in symptomatic mice displayed reduced amplitude, suggesting decreased bursting activity. Changes in frequency were genotype- and time-dependent; for R6/2 mice, the frequency was reduced during both motion and nonmotion, whereas in symptomatic Q175 mice, the reduction only occurred during nonmotion. In presymptomatic Q175 mice, frequency was increased during both behavioral states. Interneuronal correlation coefficients were generally decreased in both models, suggesting disrupted interneuronal communication in HD cerebral cortex. These results indicate similar and contrasting effects of the HD mutation on cortical ensemble activity depending on mouse model and disease stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa J Donzis
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
| | - Ana María Estrada-Sánchez
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
| | - Tim Indersmitten
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
| | - Katerina Oikonomou
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
| | - Conny H Tran
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
| | - Catherine Wang
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
| | - Shahrzad Latifi
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Peyman Golshani
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Neurology, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA
| | - Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
| | - Michael S Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
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13
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Blumenstock S, Dudanova I. Cortical and Striatal Circuits in Huntington's Disease. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:82. [PMID: 32116525 PMCID: PMC7025546 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that typically manifests in midlife with motor, cognitive, and/or psychiatric symptoms. The disease is caused by a CAG triplet expansion in exon 1 of the huntingtin gene and leads to a severe neurodegeneration in the striatum and cortex. Classical electrophysiological studies in genetic HD mouse models provided important insights into the disbalance of excitatory, inhibitory and neuromodulatory inputs, as well as progressive disconnection between the cortex and striatum. However, the involvement of local cortical and striatal microcircuits still remains largely unexplored. Here we review the progress in understanding HD-related impairments in the cortical and basal ganglia circuits, and outline new opportunities that have opened with the development of modern circuit analysis methods. In particular, in vivo imaging studies in mouse HD models have demonstrated early structural and functional disturbances within the cortical network, and optogenetic manipulations of striatal cell types have started uncovering the causal roles of certain neuronal populations in disease pathogenesis. In addition, the important contribution of astrocytes to HD-related circuit defects has recently been recognized. In parallel, unbiased systems biology studies are providing insights into the possible molecular underpinnings of these functional defects at the level of synaptic signaling and neurotransmitter metabolism. With these approaches, we can now reach a deeper understanding of circuit-based HD mechanisms, which will be crucial for the development of effective and targeted therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Blumenstock
- Department of Molecules – Signaling – Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
- Molecular Neurodegeneration Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Irina Dudanova
- Molecular Neurodegeneration Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
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14
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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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15
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Cepeda C, Oikonomou KD, Cummings D, Barry J, Yazon VW, Chen DT, Asai J, Williams CK, Vinters HV. Developmental origins of cortical hyperexcitability in Huntington's disease: Review and new observations. J Neurosci Res 2019; 97:1624-1635. [PMID: 31353533 PMCID: PMC6801077 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD), an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that principally affects striatum and cerebral cortex, is generally thought to have an adult onset. However, a small percentage of cases develop symptoms before 20 years of age. This juvenile variant suggests that brain development may be altered in HD. Indeed, recent evidence supports an important role of normal huntingtin during embryonic brain development and mutations in this protein cause cortical abnormalities. Functional studies also demonstrated that the cerebral cortex becomes hyperexcitable with disease progression. In this review, we examine clinical and experimental evidence that cortical development is altered in HD. We also provide preliminary evidence that cortical pyramidal neurons from R6/2 mice, a model of juvenile HD, are hyperexcitable and display dysmorphic processes as early as postnatal day 7. Further, some symptomatic mice present with anatomical abnormalities reminiscent of human focal cortical dysplasia, which could explain the occurrence of epileptic seizures in this genetic mouse model and in children with juvenile HD. Finally, we discuss recent treatments aimed at correcting abnormal brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Cepeda
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Katerina D. Oikonomou
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Damian Cummings
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joshua Barry
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Vannah-Wila Yazon
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Dickson T. Chen
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Janelle Asai
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christopher K. Williams
- Section of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Harry V. Vinters
- Section of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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16
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Marottoli FM, Priego M, Flores-Barrera E, Pisharody R, Zaldua S, Fan KD, Ekkurthi GK, Brady ST, Morfini GA, Tseng KY, Tai LM. EGF Treatment Improves Motor Behavior and Cortical GABAergic Function in the R6/2 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:7708-7718. [PMID: 31104296 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-1634-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that disruption of epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling by mutant huntingtin (polyQ-htt) may contribute to the onset of behavioral deficits observed in Huntington's disease (HD) through a variety of mechanisms, including cerebrovascular dysfunction. Yet, whether EGF signaling modulates the development of HD pathology and the associated behavioral impairments remain unclear. To gain insight on this issue, we used the R6/2 mouse model of HD to assess the impact of chronic EGF treatment on behavior, and cerebrovascular and cortical neuronal functions. We found that bi-weekly treatment with a low dose of EGF (300 µg/kg, i.p.) for 6 weeks was sufficient to effectively improve motor behavior in R6/2 mice and diminish mortality, compared to vehicle-treated littermates. These beneficial effects of EGF treatment were dissociated from changes in cerebrovascular leakiness, a result that was surprising given that EGF ameliorates this deficit in other neurodegenerative diseases. Rather, the beneficial effect of EGF on R6/2 mice behavior was concomitant with a marked amelioration of cortical GABAergic function. As GABAergic transmission in cortical circuits is disrupted in HD, these novel data suggest a potential mechanistic link between deficits in EGF signaling and GABAergic dysfunction in the progression of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felecia M Marottoli
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Mercedes Priego
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Eden Flores-Barrera
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Rohan Pisharody
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Steve Zaldua
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Kelly D Fan
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Giri K Ekkurthi
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Scott T Brady
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Gerardo A Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Kuei Y Tseng
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Leon M Tai
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
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17
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Burgold J, Schulz-Trieglaff EK, Voelkl K, Gutiérrez-Ángel S, Bader JM, Hosp F, Mann M, Arzberger T, Klein R, Liebscher S, Dudanova I. Cortical circuit alterations precede motor impairments in Huntington's disease mice. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6634. [PMID: 31036840 PMCID: PMC6488584 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43024-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating hereditary movement disorder, characterized by degeneration of neurons in the striatum and cortex. Studies in human patients and mouse HD models suggest that disturbances of neuronal function in the neocortex play an important role in disease onset and progression. However, the precise nature and time course of cortical alterations in HD have remained elusive. Here, we use chronic in vivo two-photon calcium imaging to longitudinally monitor the activity of identified single neurons in layer 2/3 of the primary motor cortex in awake, behaving R6/2 transgenic HD mice and wildtype littermates. R6/2 mice show age-dependent changes in cortical network function, with an increase in activity that affects a large fraction of cells and occurs rather abruptly within one week, preceeding the onset of motor defects. Furthermore, quantitative proteomics demonstrate a pronounced downregulation of synaptic proteins in the cortex, and histological analyses in R6/2 mice and human HD autopsy cases reveal a reduction in perisomatic inhibitory synaptic contacts on layer 2/3 pyramidal cells. Taken together, our study provides a time-resolved description of cortical network dysfunction in behaving HD mice and points to disturbed excitation/inhibition balance as an important pathomechanism in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Burgold
- Department of Molecules - Signaling - Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | | | - Kerstin Voelkl
- Department of Molecules - Signaling - Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sara Gutiérrez-Ángel
- Department of Molecules - Signaling - Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jakob Maximilian Bader
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Fabian Hosp
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Matthias Mann
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Thomas Arzberger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 81377, Munich, Germany
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Klein
- Department of Molecules - Signaling - Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377, Munich, Germany.
| | - Sabine Liebscher
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377, Munich, Germany.
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
- Biomedical Center, Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Irina Dudanova
- Department of Molecules - Signaling - Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
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Abstract
'Bursting', defined as periods of high-frequency firing of a neuron separated by periods of quiescence, has been observed in various neuronal systems, both in vitro and in vivo. It has been associated with a range of neuronal processes, including efficient information transfer and the formation of functional networks during development, and has been shown to be sensitive to genetic and pharmacological manipulations. Accurate detection of periods of bursting activity is thus an important aspect of characterising both spontaneous and evoked neuronal network activity. A wide variety of computational methods have been developed to detect periods of bursting in spike trains recorded from neuronal networks. In this chapter, we review several of the most popular and successful of these methods.
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19
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Estrada-Sánchez AM, Castro D, Portillo-Ortiz K, Jang K, Nedjat-Haiem M, Levine MS, Cepeda C. Complete but not partial inhibition of glutamate transporters exacerbates cortical excitability in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease. CNS Neurosci Ther 2018; 25:509-518. [PMID: 30311425 DOI: 10.1111/cns.13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM Deficient glutamate reuptake occurs in the cerebral cortex of Huntington's disease (HD) patients and murine models. Here, we examine the effects of partial or complete blockade of glutamate transporters on excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) of cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs). METHODS Whole-cell patch clamp recordings of CPNs in slices from symptomatic R6/2 mice and wild-type (WT) littermates were used to examine the effects of selective or concurrent inhibition of glutamate reuptake transporters. RESULTS Selective inhibition of the glial glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) or the glutamate aspartate transporter (GLAST) produced slight decreases in decay time of evoked EPSCs in CPNs from WT and R6/2 mice with no significant differences between genotypes. In contrast, concurrent inhibition of both transporters with DL-TBOA induced a significant increase in area and decay time and this effect was significantly greater in R6/2 CPNs. Furthermore, full blockade also reduced spontaneous EPSC frequency and exacerbated epileptiform activity in CPNs from symptomatic R6/2 mice. CONCLUSIONS R6/2 CPNs are more sensitive to glutamate accumulation during full inhibition of both glutamate transporters, and these neurons have homeostatic mechanisms to cope with inhibition of GLT-1 or GLAST by a mechanism that involves upregulation of either transporter when the other is deficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana María Estrada-Sánchez
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Daniel Castro
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Kenia Portillo-Ortiz
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Katrina Jang
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michael Nedjat-Haiem
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michael S Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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20
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Striatal Direct and Indirect Pathway Output Structures Are Differentially Altered in Mouse Models of Huntington's Disease. J Neurosci 2018; 38:4678-4694. [PMID: 29691329 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0434-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study examined synaptic communication between direct and indirect output pathway striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) and their target structures, the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) and the external globus pallidus (GPe) in two mouse models of Huntington's disease (HD). Cre recombination, optogenetics, and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were used to determine alterations in intrinsic and synaptic properties of SNr and GPe neurons from both male and female symptomatic R6/2 (>60 d) and presymptomatic (2 months) or symptomatic (10-12 months) YAC128 mice. Cell membrane capacitance was decreased, whereas input resistance was increased in SNr neurons from R6/2, but not YAC128 mice. The amplitude of GABAergic responses evoked by optogenetic stimulation of direct pathway terminals was reduced in SNr neurons of symptomatic mice of both models. A decrease in spontaneous GABA synaptic activity, in particular large-amplitude events, in SNr neurons also was observed. Passive membrane properties of GPe neurons were not different between R6/2 or YAC128 mice and their control littermates. Similarly, the amplitude of GABA responses evoked by activation of indirect pathway MSN terminals and the frequency of spontaneous GABA synaptic activity were similar in HD and control animals. In contrast, the decay time of the evoked GABA response was significantly longer in cells from HD mice. Interestingly, activation of indirect pathway MSNs within the striatum evoked larger-amplitude responses in direct pathway MSNs. Together, these results demonstrate differential alterations in responses evoked by direct and indirect pathway terminals in SNr and GPe leading to striatal output imbalance and motor dysfunction.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous work on Huntington's disease (HD) focused on striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) almost exclusively. Little is known about the effects that alterations in the striatum have on output structures of the direct and indirect pathways, the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) and the external segment of the globus pallidus (GPe), respectively. We combined electrophysiological and optogenetic methods to examine responses evoked by selective activation of terminals of direct and indirect pathway MSNs in SNr and GPe neurons in two mouse models of HD. We show a differential disruption of synaptic communication between the direct and indirect output pathways of the striatum with their target regions leading to an imbalance of striatal output, which will contribute to motor dysfunction.
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Rebec GV. Corticostriatal network dysfunction in Huntington's disease: Deficits in neural processing, glutamate transport, and ascorbate release. CNS Neurosci Ther 2018; 24:281-291. [PMID: 29464896 PMCID: PMC6489880 DOI: 10.1111/cns.12828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS This review summarizes evidence for dysfunctional connectivity between cortical and striatal neurons in Huntington's disease (HD), a fatal neurodegenerative condition caused by a single gene mutation. The focus is on data derived from recording of electrophysiological signals in behaving transgenic mouse models. DISCUSSIONS Firing patterns of individual neurons and the frequency oscillations of local field potentials indicate a disruption in corticostriatal processing driven, in large part, by interactions between cells that contain the mutant gene rather than the mutant gene alone. Dysregulation of glutamate, an excitatory amino acid released by cortical afferents, plays a key role in the breakdown of corticostriatal communication, a process modulated by ascorbate, an antioxidant vitamin found in high concentration in striatum. Up-regulation of glutamate transport by drug administration or viral-vector delivery improves ascorbate homeostasis and neurobehavioral processing in HD mice. Further analysis of electrophysiological data, including the use of sophisticated computational strategies, is required to discern how behavioral demands modulate the flow of corticostriatal information and its disruption by HD. CONCLUSIONS Long before massive cell loss occurs, HD impairs the mechanisms by which cortical and striatal neurons communicate. A key problem identified in transgenic animal models is dysregulation of the dynamic changes in extracellular glutamate and ascorbate. Improved understanding of how these neurochemical systems impact corticostriatal communication is necessary before an effective therapeutic strategy can emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- George V. Rebec
- Program in NeuroscienceDepartment of Psychological and Brain SciencesIndiana UniversityBloomingtonINUSA
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22
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Abstract
Electrophysiological and cell imaging techniques are powerful tools for understanding alterations in neuronal activity in Huntington's disease (HD), a fatal neurological disorder caused by an expansion of CAG repeats in the HTT gene. Changes in neuronal activity often precede the behavioral manifestations of HD, therefore, understanding the electrophysiology of HD is critical for identifying potential prodromal markers and therapeutic targets. This chapter outlines the basic methodology behind four major electrophysiological and imaging techniques used in HD mouse models: patch clamp recordings, optogenetics, in vivo electrophysiology, and Ca2+ imaging, as well as some of the advancements in HD research using each of these techniques.
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Rangel-Barajas C, Rebec GV. Dysregulation of Corticostriatal Connectivity in Huntington's Disease: A Role for Dopamine Modulation. J Huntingtons Dis 2017; 5:303-331. [PMID: 27983564 PMCID: PMC5181679 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-160221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant communication between striatum, the main information processing unit of the basal ganglia, and cerebral cortex plays a critical role in the emergence of Huntington’s disease (HD), a fatal monogenetic condition that typically strikes in the prime of life. Although both striatum and cortex undergo substantial cell loss over the course of HD, corticostriatal circuits become dysfunctional long before neurons die. Understanding the dysfunction is key to developing effective strategies for treating a progressively worsening triad of motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Cortical output neurons drive striatal activity through the release of glutamate, an excitatory amino acid. Striatal outputs, in turn, release γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) and exert inhibitory control over downstream basal ganglia targets. Ample evidence from transgenic rodent models points to dysregulation of corticostriatal glutamate transmission along with corresponding changes in striatal GABA release as underlying factors in the HD behavioral phenotype. Another contributor is dysregulation of dopamine (DA), a modulator of both glutamate and GABA transmission. In fact, pharmacological manipulation of DA is the only currently available treatment for HD symptoms. Here, we review data from animal models and human patients to evaluate the role of DA in HD, including DA interactions with glutamate and GABA within the context of dysfunctional corticostriatal circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - George V. Rebec
- Correspondence to: George V. Rebec, PhD, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Program in
Neuroscience, Indiana University, 1101 E. 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-7007, USA. Tel.: +1 812 855 4832;
Fax: +1 812 855 4520; E-mail:
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Zheng P, Kozloski J. Striatal Network Models of Huntington's Disease Dysfunction Phenotypes. Front Comput Neurosci 2017; 11:70. [PMID: 28798680 PMCID: PMC5529396 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2017.00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a network model of striatum, which generates "winnerless" dynamics typical for a network of sparse, unidirectionally connected inhibitory units. We observe that these dynamics, while interesting and a good match to normal striatal electrophysiological recordings, are fragile. Specifically, we find that randomly initialized networks often show dynamics more resembling "winner-take-all," and relate this "unhealthy" model activity to dysfunctional physiological and anatomical phenotypes in the striatum of Huntington's disease animal models. We report plasticity as a potent mechanism to refine randomly initialized networks and create a healthy winnerless dynamic in our model, and we explore perturbations to a healthy network, modeled on changes observed in Huntington's disease, such as neuron cell death and increased bidirectional connectivity. We report the effect of these perturbations on the conversion risk of the network to an unhealthy state. Finally we discuss the relationship between structural and functional phenotypes observed at the level of simulated network dynamics as a promising means to model disease progression in different patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James Kozloski
- Computational Neuroscience and Multiscale Brain Modeling, Computational Biology Center, IBM Research Division, IBM T. J. Watson Research CenterNew York, NY, United States
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Grannan MD, Mielnik CA, Moran SP, Gould RW, Ball J, Lu Z, Bubser M, Ramsey AJ, Abe M, Cho HP, Nance KD, Blobaum AL, Niswender CM, Conn PJ, Lindsley CW, Jones CK. Prefrontal Cortex-Mediated Impairments in a Genetic Model of NMDA Receptor Hypofunction Are Reversed by the Novel M 1 PAM VU6004256. ACS Chem Neurosci 2016; 7:1706-1716. [PMID: 27617634 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormalities in the signaling of the N-methyl-d-aspartate subtype of the glutamate receptor (NMDAR) within cortical and limbic brain regions are thought to underlie many of the complex cognitive and affective symptoms observed in individuals with schizophrenia. The M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) subtype is a closely coupled signaling partner of the NMDAR. Accumulating evidence suggests that development of selective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the M1 receptor represent an important treatment strategy for the potential normalization of disruptions in NMDAR signaling in patients with schizophrenia. In the present studies, we evaluated the effects of the novel and highly potent M1 PAM, VU6004256, in ameliorating selective prefrontal cortical (PFC)-mediated physiologic and cognitive abnormalities in a genetic mouse model of global reduction in the NR1 subunit of the NMDAR (NR1 knockdown [KD]). Using slice-based extracellular field potential recordings, deficits in muscarinic agonist-induced long-term depression (LTD) in layer V of the PFC in the NR1 KD mice were normalized with bath application of VU6004256. Systemic administration of VU6004256 also reduced excessive pyramidal neuron firing in layer V PFC neurons in awake, freely moving NR1 KD mice. Moreover, selective potentiation of M1 by VU6004256 reversed the performance impairments of NR1 KD mice observed in two preclinical models of PFC-mediated learning, specifically the novel object recognition and cue-mediated fear conditioning tasks. VU6004256 also produced a robust, dose-dependent reduction in the hyperlocomotor activity of NR1 KD mice. Taken together, the current findings provide further support for M1 PAMs as a novel therapeutic approach for the PFC-mediated impairments in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Grannan
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Catharine A. Mielnik
- Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Sean P. Moran
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Robert W. Gould
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Jacob Ball
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Zhuoyan Lu
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Michael Bubser
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Amy J. Ramsey
- Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Masahito Abe
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Hyekyung P. Cho
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Kellie D. Nance
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Anna L. Blobaum
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Colleen M. Niswender
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - P. Jeffrey Conn
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Craig W. Lindsley
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Carrie K. Jones
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
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Rangel-Barajas C, Estrada-Sánchez AM, Barton SJ, Luedtke RR, Rebec GV. Dysregulated corticostriatal activity in open-field behavior and the head-twitch response induced by the hallucinogen 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine. Neuropharmacology 2016; 113:502-510. [PMID: 27816502 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Revised: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The substituted amphetamine, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI), is a hallucinogen that has been used to model a variety of psychiatric conditions. Here, we studied the effect of DOI on neural activity recorded simultaneously in the primary motor cortex (M1) and dorsal striatum of freely behaving FvB/N mice. DOI significantly decreased the firing rate of individually isolated neurons in M1 and dorsal striatum relative to pre-drug baseline. It also induced a bursting pattern of activity by increasing both the number of spikes within a burst and burst duration. In addition, DOI increased coincident firing between simultaneously recorded neuron pairs within the striatum and between M1 and dorsal striatum. Local field potential (LFP) activity also increased in coherence between M1 and dorsal striatum after DOI in the low frequency gamma band (30-50 Hz), while corticostriatal coherence in delta, theta, alpha, and beta activity decreased. We also assessed corticostriatal LFP activity in relation to the DOI-induced head-twitch response (HTR), a readily identifiable behavior used to assess potential treatments for the conditions it models. The HTR was associated with increased delta and decreased theta power in both M1 and dorsal striatum. Together, our results suggest that DOI dysregulates corticostriatal communication and that the HTR is associated with this dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Rangel-Barajas
- Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Ana María Estrada-Sánchez
- Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Scott J Barton
- Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Robert R Luedtke
- University of North Texas Health Science Center, The Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA
| | - George V Rebec
- Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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Bunner KD, Rebec GV. Corticostriatal Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease: The Basics. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:317. [PMID: 27445757 PMCID: PMC4924423 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The main input to the basal ganglia, the corticostriatal pathway, shows some of the earliest signs of neuropathology in Huntington’s disease (HD), an inherited neurodegenerative condition that typically strikes in mid-life with progressively deteriorating cognitive, emotional, and motor symptoms. Although an effective treatment remains elusive, research on transgenic animal models has implicated dysregulation of glutamate (Glu), the excitatory amino acid released by corticostriatal neurons, in HD onset. Abnormalities in the control of Glu transmission at the level of postsynaptic receptors and Glu transport proteins play a critical role in the loss of information flow through downstream circuits that set the stage for the HD behavioral phenotype. Parallel but less-well characterized changes in dopamine (DA), a key modulator of Glu activation, ensure further deficits in neuronal communication throughout the basal ganglia. Continued analysis of corticostriatal Glu transmission and its modulation by DA, including analysis at the neurobehavioral level in transgenic models, is likely to be an effective strategy in the pursuit of HD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra D Bunner
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - George V Rebec
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
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28
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Fisher SP, Schwartz MD, Wurts-Black S, Thomas AM, Chen TM, Miller MA, Palmerston JB, Kilduff TS, Morairty SR. Quantitative Electroencephalographic Analysis Provides an Early-Stage Indicator of Disease Onset and Progression in the zQ175 Knock-In Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. Sleep 2016; 39:379-91. [PMID: 26446107 DOI: 10.5665/sleep.5448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Patients with Huntington's disease (HD) show a high prevalence of sleep disorders that typically occur prior to the onset of motoric symptoms and neurodegeneration. Our understanding of the pathophysiological alterations in premanifest HD is limited, hindering the ability to measure disease modification in response to treatment. We used a full-length knock-in HD model to determine early changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and sleep that may predict the onset and progression of the disease. METHODS A 10-month longitudinal study was designed to determine the effect of the HD mutation on the EEG and sleep/wake changes in heterozygous (HET) and homozygous (HOM) zQ175 mice and wild-type (WT) littermates from 8 to 48 w of age. Mice were instrumented with tethered headmounts to record EEG/electromyography signals. Telemeters were implanted to continuously measure locomotor activity (LMA) and body temperature (Tb). Sleep deprivation (SDep) was performed at 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, and 48 w of age. RESULTS The HD mutation disrupted the EEG field potential from 8-12 w in an age- and mutant huntington dose-dependent manner, prior to changes in sleep/wake states, LMA, and Tb. Prominent effects of the HD mutation on the EEG included a progressive reduction in low frequency power, a slowing of rapid eye movement peak theta frequency, and the emergence of state-dependent beta/gamma oscillations. There was no effect of genotype on the relative increase in nonrapid eye movement delta power or sleep time in response to SDep. CONCLUSIONS The expression of the Huntington's disease (HD) mutation results in complex EEG alterations that occur prior to deficits in behavioral measures and are one of the earliest phenotypes uncovered in this mouse model. Despite these EEG changes, homeostatic responses to sleep loss were preserved in HET and HOM zQ175 mice. Greater insight into the localization and response of these EEG alterations to novel therapies may enable early intervention and improve outcomes for patients with HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon P Fisher
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Michael D Schwartz
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Sarah Wurts-Black
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Alexia M Thomas
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Tsui-Ming Chen
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Michael A Miller
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Jeremiah B Palmerston
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Thomas S Kilduff
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Stephen R Morairty
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
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Callahan JW, Abercrombie ED. Relationship between subthalamic nucleus neuronal activity and electrocorticogram is altered in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease. J Physiol 2015; 593:3727-38. [PMID: 25952461 DOI: 10.1113/jp270268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Neural synchrony between the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and cortex is critical for proper information processing in basal ganglia circuits. Using in vivo extracellular recordings in urethane-anaesthetized mice, we demonstrate that single units and local field potentials from the STN exhibit oscillatory entrainment to low-frequency (0.5-4 Hz) rhythms when the cortex is in a synchronized state. Here we report novel findings in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD) by demonstrating that STN activity is reduced and less phase-locked to cortical low-frequency oscillations. The spectral power of low-frequency oscillations in ECoG recordings of R6/2 mice is diminished while the spectral power of higher frequencies is augmented and such altered cortical patterning could lead to decreased synchrony in corticosubthalamic circuits. Our data establish that cortical entrainment of STN neural activity is disrupted in R6/2 mice and may be one of the mechanisms contributing to disordered motor control in HD. ABSTRACT Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder in which impairments in the processing of information between the cortex and basal ganglia are fundamental to the onset and progression of the HD phenotype. The corticosubthalamic hyperdirect pathway plays a pivotal role in motor selection and blockade of neuronal activity in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) results in a hyperkinetic movement syndrome, similar to the HD phenotype. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between neuronal activity in the STN and cortex in an animal model of HD. We performed in vivo extracellular recordings in the STN to measure single-unit activity and local field potentials in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD. These recordings were obtained during epochs of simultaneously acquired electrocorticogram (ECoG) in discrete brain states representative of global cortical network synchronization or desynchronization. Cortically patterned STN neuronal activity was less phase-locked in R6/2 mice, which is likely to result in less efficient coding of cortical inputs by the basal ganglia. In R6/2 mice, the power of the ECoG in lower frequencies (0.5-4 Hz) was diminished while the power expressed in higher frequencies (13-100 Hz) was increased. In addition, the spontaneous activity of STN neurons in R6/2 mice was reduced and neurons exhibited a more irregular firing pattern. Glutamatergic STN neurons provide the major excitatory drive to the output nuclei of the basal ganglia and altered discharge patterns could lead to aberrant basal ganglia output and disordered motor control in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua W Callahan
- Center for Molecular and Behavioural Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Elizabeth D Abercrombie
- Center for Molecular and Behavioural Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
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Cortical efferents lacking mutant huntingtin improve striatal neuronal activity and behavior in a conditional mouse model of Huntington's disease. J Neurosci 2015; 35:4440-51. [PMID: 25762686 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2812-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormal electrophysiological activity in the striatum, which receives dense innervation from the cerebral cortex, is believed to set the stage for the behavioral phenotype observed in Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative condition caused by mutation of the huntingtin (mhtt) protein. However, cortical involvement is far from clear. To determine whether abnormal striatal processing can be explained by mhtt alone (cell-autonomous model) or by mhtt in the corticostriatal projection cell-cell interaction model, we used BACHD/Emx1-Cre (BE) mice, a conditional HD model in which full-length mhtt is genetically reduced in cortical output neurons, including those that project to the striatum. Animals were assessed beginning at 20 weeks of age for at least the next 40 weeks, a range over which presymptomatic BACHD mice become symptomatic. Both open-field and nest-building behavior deteriorated progressively in BACHD mice relative to both BE and wild-type (WT) mice. Neuronal activity patterns in the dorsal striatum, which receives input from the primary motor cortex (M1), followed a similar age progression because BACHD activity changed more rapidly than either BE or WT mice. However, in the M1, BE neuronal activity differed significantly from both WT and BACHD. Although abnormal cortical activity in BE mice likely reflects input from mhtt-expressing afferents, including cortical interneurons, improvements in BE striatal activity and behavior suggest a critical role for mhtt in cortical output neurons in shaping the onset and progression of striatal dysfunction.
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31
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Callahan JW, Abercrombie ED. Age-dependent alterations in the cortical entrainment of subthalamic nucleus neurons in the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2015; 78:88-99. [PMID: 25772440 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2015.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/08/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that results in motor, cognitive and psychiatric abnormalities. Dysfunction in neuronal processing between the cortex and the basal ganglia is fundamental to the onset and progression of the HD phenotype. The corticosubthalamic hyperdirect pathway plays a crucial role in motor selection and blockade of neuronal activity in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) results in hyperkinetic movement abnormalities, similar to the motor symptoms associated with HD. The aim of the present study was to examine whether changes in the fidelity of information transmission between the cortex and the STN emerge as a function of phenotypic severity in the YAC128 mouse model of HD. We obtained in vivo extracellular recordings in the STN and concomitant electrocorticogram (ECoG) recordings during discrete brain states that reflected global cortical network synchronization or desynchronization. At early ages in YAC128 mice, both the cortex and the STN exhibited patterns of hyperexcitability. As symptom severity progressed, cortical entrainment of STN activity was disrupted and there was an increase in the proportion of non-oscillating, tonically firing STN neurons that were less phase-locked to cortical activity. Concomitant to the dissipation of STN entrainment, there was a reduction in the evoked response of STN neurons to focal cortical stimulation. The spontaneous discharge of STN neurons in YAC128 mice also decreased with age and symptom severity. These results indicate dysfunction in the flow of information within the corticosubthalamic circuit and demonstrate progressive age-related disconnection of the hyperdirect pathway in a transgenic mouse model of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua W Callahan
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Elizabeth D Abercrombie
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
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32
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Indersmitten T, Tran CH, Cepeda C, Levine MS. Altered excitatory and inhibitory inputs to striatal medium-sized spiny neurons and cortical pyramidal neurons in the Q175 mouse model of Huntington's disease. J Neurophysiol 2015; 113:2953-66. [PMID: 25673747 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01056.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Q175 knockin mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD) carries a CAG trinucleotide expansion of the human mutant huntingtin allele in its native mouse genomic context and recapitulates the genotype more closely than transgenic models. In this study we examined the progression of changes in intrinsic membrane properties and excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, using whole cell patch-clamp recordings of medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) in the dorsolateral striatum and cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs) in layers 2/3 of the primary motor cortex in brain slices from heterozygous (Q175(+/-)) and homozygous (Q175(+/+)) mice. Input resistance in MSNs from Q175(+/+) and Q175(+/-) mice was significantly increased compared with wild-type (WT) littermates beginning at 2 mo. Furthermore, the frequency of spontaneous and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) was significantly reduced in MSNs from Q175(+/+) and Q175(+/-) mice compared with WTs beginning at 7 mo. In contrast, the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) and IPSC-to-EPSC ratios were increased in MSNs from Q175(+/+) mice beginning at 2 mo. Morphologically, significant decreases in spine density of MSNs from Q175(+/-) and Q175(+/+) mice occurred at 7 and 12 mo. In CPNs, sIPSC frequencies and IPSC-to-EPSC ratios were significantly increased in Q175(+/-) mice compared with WTs at 12 mo. There were no changes in intrinsic membrane properties or morphology. In summary, we show a number of alterations in electrophysiological and morphological properties of MSNs in Q175 mice that are similar to other HD mouse models. However, unlike other models, CPN inhibitory activity is increased in Q175(+/-) mice, indicating reduced cortical excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Indersmitten
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Conny H Tran
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michael S Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California
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Nakhnikian A, Rebec GV, Grasse LM, Dwiel LL, Shimono M, Beggs JM. Behavior modulates effective connectivity between cortex and striatum. PLoS One 2014; 9:e89443. [PMID: 24618981 PMCID: PMC3949668 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been notoriously difficult to understand interactions in the basal ganglia because of multiple recurrent loops. Another complication is that activity there is strongly dependent on behavior, suggesting that directional interactions, or effective connections, can dynamically change. A simplifying approach would be to examine just the direct, monosynaptic projections from cortex to striatum and contrast this with the polysynaptic feedback connections from striatum to cortex. Previous work by others on effective connectivity in this pathway indicated that activity in cortex could be used to predict activity in striatum, but that striatal activity could not predict cortical activity. However, this work was conducted in anesthetized or seizing animals, making it impossible to know how free behavior might influence effective connectivity. To address this issue, we applied Granger causality to local field potential signals from cortex and striatum in freely behaving rats. Consistent with previous results, we found that effective connectivity was largely unidirectional, from cortex to striatum, during anesthetized and resting states. Interestingly, we found that effective connectivity became bidirectional during free behaviors. These results are the first to our knowledge to show that striatal influence on cortex can be as strong as cortical influence on striatum. In addition, these findings highlight how behavioral states can affect basal ganglia interactions. Finally, we suggest that this approach may be useful for studies of Parkinson's or Huntington's diseases, in which effective connectivity may change during movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Nakhnikian
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America; Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - George V Rebec
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Leslie M Grasse
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Lucas L Dwiel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Masanori Shimono
- Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America; Department of Physical and Health Education, Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - John M Beggs
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America; Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
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Chen JF. Adenosine receptor control of cognition in normal and disease. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2014; 119:257-307. [PMID: 25175970 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-801022-8.00012-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Adenosine and adenosine receptors (ARs) are increasingly recognized as important therapeutic targets for controlling cognition under normal and disease conditions for its dual roles of neuromodulation as well as of homeostatic function in the brain. This chapter first presents the unique ability of adenosine, by acting on the inhibitory A1 and facilitating A2A receptor, to integrate dopamine, glutamate, and BNDF signaling and to modulate synaptic plasticity (e.g., long-term potentiation and long-term depression) in brain regions relevant to learning and memory, providing the molecular and cellular bases for adenosine receptor (AR) control of cognition. This led to the demonstration of AR modulation of social recognition memory, working memory, reference memory, reversal learning, goal-directed behavior/habit formation, Pavlovian fear conditioning, and effort-related behavior. Furthermore, human and animal studies support that AR activity can also, through cognitive enhancement and neuroprotection, reverse cognitive impairments in animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease, and schizophrenia. Lastly, epidemiological evidence indicates that regular human consumption of caffeine, the most widely used psychoactive drug and nonselective AR antagonists, is associated with the reduced cognitive decline in aging and AD patients, and with the reduced risk in developing PD. Thus, there is a convergence of the molecular studies revealing AR as molecular targets for integrating neurotransmitter signaling and controlling synaptic plasticity, with animal studies demonstrating the strong procognitive impact upon AR antagonism in normal and disease brains and with epidemiological and clinical evidences in support of caffeine and AR drugs for therapeutic modulation of cognition. Since some of adenosine A2A receptor antagonists are already in phase III clinical trials for motor benefits in PD patients with remarkable safety profiles, additional animal and human studies to better understand the mechanism underlying the AR-mediated control of cognition under normal and disease conditions will provide the required rationale to stimulate the necessary clinical investigation to rapidly translate adenosine and AR drug as a novel strategy to control memory impairment in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang-Fan Chen
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Molecular Medicine Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
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Cepeda C, Murphy KPS, Parent M, Levine MS. The role of dopamine in Huntington's disease. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2014; 211:235-54. [PMID: 24968783 PMCID: PMC4409123 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63425-2.00010-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Alterations in dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in Parkinson's disease are well known and widely studied. Much less is known about DA changes that accompany and underlie some of the symptoms of Huntington's disease (HD), a dominant inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by chorea, cognitive deficits, and psychiatric disturbances. The cause is an expansion in CAG (glutamine) repeats in the HTT gene. The principal histopathology of HD is the loss of medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) and, to a lesser degree, neuronal loss in cerebral cortex, thalamus, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. Neurochemical, electrophysiological, and behavioral studies in HD patients and genetic mouse models suggest biphasic changes in DA neurotransmission. In the early stages, DA neurotransmission is increased leading to hyperkinetic movements that can be alleviated by depleting DA stores. In contrast, in the late stages, DA deficits produce hypokinesia that can be treated by increasing DA function. Alterations in DA neurotransmission affect glutamate receptor modulation and could contribute to excitotoxicity. The mechanisms of DA dysfunction, in particular the increased DA tone in the early stages of the disease, are presently unknown but may include initial upregulation of DA neuron activity caused by the genetic mutation, reduced inhibition resulting from striatal MSN loss, increased excitation from cortical inputs, and DA autoreceptor dysfunction. Targeting both DA and glutamate receptor dysfunction could be the best strategy to treat HD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kerry P S Murphy
- Huntington's Disease Research Forum, Department of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK
| | - Martin Parent
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Michael S Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Estrada-Sánchez AM, Barton SJ, Burroughs CL, Doyle AR, Rebec GV. Dysregulated striatal neuronal processing and impaired motor behavior in mice lacking huntingtin interacting protein 14 (HIP14). PLoS One 2013; 8:e84537. [PMID: 24376823 PMCID: PMC3871627 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2013] [Accepted: 11/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Palmitoyl acyl transferases (PATs) play a critical role in protein trafficking and function. Huntingtin interacting protein 14 (HIP14) is a PAT that acts on proteins associated with neuronal transmission, suggesting that deficient protein palmitoylation by HIP14, which occurs in the YAC128 model of Huntington's disease (HD), might have deleterious effects on neurobehavioral processing. HIP14 knockout mice show biochemical and neuropathological changes in the striatum, a forebrain region affected by HD that guides behavioral choice and motor flexibility. Thus, we evaluated the performance of these mice in two tests of motor ability: nest-building and plus maze turning behavior. Relative to wild-type controls, HIP14 knockout mice show impaired nest building and decreased turning in the plus maze. When we recorded the activity of striatal neurons during plus-maze performance, we found faster firing rates and dysregulated spike bursting in HIP14 knockouts compared to wild-type. There was also less correlated firing between simultaneously recorded neuronal pairs in the HIP14 knockouts. Overall, our results indicate that HIP14 is critically involved in behavioral modulation of striatal processing. In the absence of HIP14, striatal neurons become dysfunctional, leading to impaired motor behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana María Estrada-Sánchez
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Scott J. Barton
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Courtney L. Burroughs
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Amanda R. Doyle
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - George V. Rebec
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
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Rattray I, Smith EJ, Crum WR, Walker TA, Gale R, Bates GP, Modo M. Correlations of behavioral deficits with brain pathology assessed through longitudinal MRI and histopathology in the R6/1 mouse model of Huntington's disease. PLoS One 2013; 8:e84726. [PMID: 24367693 PMCID: PMC3868608 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The R6 mouse models of HD express a mutant version of exon 1 HTT and typically develop motor and cognitive impairments, a widespread huntingtin (HTT) aggregate pathology and brain atrophy. Unlike the more commonly used R6/2 mouse line, R6/1 mice have fewer CAG repeats and, subsequently, a less rapid pathological decline. Compared to the R6/2 line, fewer descriptions of the progressive pathologies exhibited by R6/1 mice exist. The association between the molecular and cellular neuropathology with brain atrophy, and with the development of behavioral phenotypes remains poorly understood in many models of HD. In attempt to link these factors in the R6/1 mouse line, we have performed detailed assessments of behavior and of regional brain abnormalities determined through longitudinal, in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as an end-stage, ex vivo MRI study and histological assessment. We found progressive decline in both motor and non-motor related behavioral tasks in R6/1 mice, first evident at 11 weeks of age. Regional brain volumes were generally unaffected at 9 weeks, but by 17 weeks there was significant grey matter atrophy. This age-related brain volume loss was validated using a more precise, semi-automated Tensor Based morphometry assessment. As well as these clear progressive phenotypes, mutant HTT (mHTT) protein, the hallmark of HD molecular pathology, was widely distributed throughout the R6/1 brain and was accompanied by neuronal loss. Despite these seemingly concomitant, robust pathological phenotypes, there appeared to be little correlation between the three main outcome measures: behavioral performance, MRI-detected brain atrophy and histopathology. In conclusion, R6/1 mice exhibit many features of HD, but the underlying mechanisms driving these clear behavioral disturbances and the brain volume loss, still remain unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Rattray
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- King’s College London, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edward J. Smith
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- King’s College London, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, London, United Kingdom
| | - William R. Crum
- King’s College London, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas A. Walker
- King’s College London, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Gale
- King’s College London, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian P. Bates
- King’s College London, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michel Modo
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Radiology, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Rebec GV. Dysregulation of corticostriatal ascorbate release and glutamate uptake in transgenic models of Huntington's disease. Antioxid Redox Signal 2013; 19:2115-28. [PMID: 23642110 PMCID: PMC3869431 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2013.5387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE Dysregulation of cortical and striatal neuronal processing plays a critical role in Huntington's disease (HD), a dominantly inherited condition that includes a progressive deterioration of cognitive and motor control. Growing evidence indicates that ascorbate (AA), an antioxidant vitamin, is released into striatal extracellular fluid when glutamate is cleared after its release from cortical afferents. Both AA release and glutamate uptake are impaired in the striatum of transgenic mouse models of HD owing to a downregulation of glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1), the protein primarily found on astrocytes and responsible for removing most extracellular glutamate. Improved understanding of an AA-glutamate interaction could lead to new therapeutic strategies for HD. RECENT ADVANCES Increased expression of GLT1 following treatment with ceftriaxone, a beta-lactam antibiotic, increases striatal glutamate uptake and AA release and also improves the HD behavioral phenotype. In fact, treatment with AA alone restores striatal extracellular AA to wild-type levels in HD mice and not only improves behavior but also improves the firing pattern of neurons in HD striatum. CRITICAL ISSUES Although evidence is growing for an AA-glutamate interaction, several key issues require clarification: the site of action of AA on striatal neurons; the precise role of GLT1 in striatal AA release; and the mechanism by which HD interferes with this role. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Further assessment of how the HD mutation alters corticostriatal signaling is an important next step. A critical focus is the role of astrocytes, which express GLT1 and may be the primary source of extracellular AA.
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Affiliation(s)
- George V Rebec
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University , Bloomington, Indiana
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Dougherty SE, Hollimon JJ, McMeekin LJ, Bohannon AS, West AB, Lesort M, Hablitz JJ, Cowell RM. Hyperactivity and cortical disinhibition in mice with restricted expression of mutant huntingtin to parvalbumin-positive cells. Neurobiol Dis 2013; 62:160-71. [PMID: 24121117 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2013.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2013] [Revised: 09/20/2013] [Accepted: 10/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that interneurons are involved in the pathophysiology of Huntington Disease (HD). Abnormalities in the function of interneurons expressing the calcium buffer parvalbumin (PV) have been observed in multiple mouse models of HD, although it is not clear how PV-positive interneuron dysfunction contributes to behavioral and synaptic deficits. Here, we use the cre-lox system to drive expression of mutant huntingtin (mthtt) in parvalbumin (PV)-positive neurons and find that mutant mice exhibit diffuse mthtt immunoreactivity in PV-rich areas at 10months of age and mthtt aggregates in PV-positive processes at 24months of age. At midlife, mutant mice are hyperactive and display impaired GABA release in the motor cortex, characterized by reduced miniature inhibitory events and severely blunted responses to gamma frequency stimulation, without a loss of PV-positive interneurons. In contrast, 24month-old mutant mice show normalized behavior and responses to gamma frequency stimulation, possibly due to compensatory changes in pyramidal neurons or the formation of inclusions with age. These data indicate that mthtt expression in PV-positive neurons is sufficient to drive a hyperactive phenotype and suggest that mthtt-mediated dysfunction in PV-positive neuronal populations could be a key factor in the hyperkinetic behavior observed in HD. Further clarification of the roles for specific PV-positive populations in this phenotype is warranted to definitively identify cellular targets for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- S E Dougherty
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA
| | - J J Hollimon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA
| | - L J McMeekin
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA
| | - A S Bohannon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA
| | - A B West
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA
| | - M Lesort
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA
| | - J J Hablitz
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA
| | - R M Cowell
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA.
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Fisher SP, Black SW, Schwartz MD, Wilk AJ, Chen TM, Lincoln WU, Liu HW, Kilduff TS, Morairty SR. Longitudinal analysis of the electroencephalogram and sleep phenotype in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 136:2159-72. [PMID: 23801738 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awt132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in sleep and circadian organization have been identified as common early features in patients with Huntington's disease that correlate with symptom severity and may be instrumental in disease progression. Studies in Huntington's disease gene carriers suggest that alterations in the electroencephalogram may reflect underlying neuronal dysfunction that is present in the premanifest stage. We conducted a longitudinal characterization of sleep/wake and electroencephalographic activity in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease to determine whether analogous electroencephalographic 'signatures' could be identified early in disease progression. R6/2 and wild-type mice were implanted for electroencephalographic recordings along with telemetry for the continuous recording of activity and body temperature. Diurnal patterns of activity and core body temperature were progressively disrupted in R6/2 mice, with a large reduction in the amplitude of these rhythms apparent by 13 weeks of age. The diurnal variation in sleep/wake states was gradually attenuated as sleep became more fragmented and total sleep time was reduced relative to wild-type mice. These genotypic differences were augmented at 17 weeks and evident across the entire 24-h period. Quantitative electroencephalogram analysis revealed anomalous increases in high beta and gamma activity (25-60 Hz) in all sleep/wake states in R6/2 mice, along with increases in theta activity during both non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep and a reduction of delta power in non-rapid eye movement sleep. These dramatic alterations in quantitative electroencephalographic measures were apparent from our earliest recording (9 weeks), before any major differences in diurnal physiology or sleep/wake behaviour occurred. In addition, the homeostatic response to sleep deprivation was greatly attenuated with disease progression. These findings demonstrate the sensitivity of quantitative electroencephalographic analysis to identify early pathophysiological alterations in the R6/2 model of Huntington's disease and suggest longitudinal studies in other preclinical Huntington's disease models are needed to determine the generality of these observations as a potential adjunct in therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon P Fisher
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
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Estrada-Sánchez AM, Rebec GV. Role of cerebral cortex in the neuropathology of Huntington's disease. Front Neural Circuits 2013; 7:19. [PMID: 23423362 PMCID: PMC3575072 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Accepted: 01/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An expansion of glutamine repeats in the N-terminal domain of the huntingtin protein leads to Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative condition characterized by the presence of involuntary movements, dementia, and psychiatric disturbances. Evaluation of postmortem HD tissue indicates that the most prominent cell loss occurs in cerebral cortex and striatum, forebrain regions in which cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs) and striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are the most affected. Subsequent evidence obtained from HD patients and especially from transgenic mouse models of HD indicates that long before neuronal death, patterns of communication between CPNs and MSNs become dysfunctional. In fact, electrophysiological signaling in transgenic HD mice is altered even before the appearance of the HD behavioral phenotype, suggesting that dysfunctional cortical input to the striatum sets the stage for the emergence of HD neurological signs. Striatal MSNs, moreover, project back to cortex via multi-synaptic connections, allowing for even further disruptions in cortical processing. An effective therapeutic strategy for HD, therefore, may lie in understanding the synaptic mechanisms by which it dysregulates the corticostriatal system. Here, we review literature evaluating the molecular, morphological, and physiological alterations in the cerebral cortex, a key component of brain circuitry controlling motor behavior, as they occur in both patients and transgenic HD models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Estrada-Sánchez
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
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“Ectopic” theta oscillations and interictal activity during slow-wave state in the R6/1 mouse model of Huntington's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2012; 48:409-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2012.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Revised: 07/12/2012] [Accepted: 07/17/2012] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
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Hong SL, Cossyleon D, Hussain WA, Walker LJ, Barton SJ, Rebec GV. Dysfunctional behavioral modulation of corticostriatal communication in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease. PLoS One 2012; 7:e47026. [PMID: 23056565 PMCID: PMC3464283 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Accepted: 09/07/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In Huntington’s disease (HD), motor symptoms develop prior to the widespread loss of neurons in striatum and cerebral cortex. The aim of this study was to examine dysfunctional patterns of corticostriatal communication during spontaneously occurring behaviors in a transgenic mouse model of HD. Methodology/Principal Findings Local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded from two closely interconnected areas, motor cortex and dorsal striatum, in wild-type controls (WT, n = 14) and a widely used transgenic HD model (R6/2 mice, n = 12). All mice were between the ages of 7–9 weeks, a critical period of motor symptom development in R6/2s. Recordings were obtained while the mice were behaving freely in an open field. Specific LFP activity was extracted using timestamps for three increasingly demanding motor behaviors: 1) resting; 2) grooming; and 3) active exploration. Power spectral densities (PSD) were obtained for the cortical and striatal LFPs as well as coherence levels and relative phase across the frequency spectrum. In both brain regions, only R6/2s showed high frequency LFP oscillations during rest and grooming. As behavior increased from resting to exploring, corticostriatal synchrony at high frequencies declined in R6/2s, completely opposite to the WT pattern. R6/2s also exhibited nearly in-phase corticostriatal activity (cortex phase leads of ∼5°), while the WTs consistently showed cortical phase lags of ∼20° across all assessed behaviors, indicating a lead role for striatum. Conclusions/Significance Our results add to growing evidence for altered communication between cortex and striatum in HD and suggest more generally that increasingly demanding motor behaviors differentially modulate corticostriatal communication. Our data also suggest conduction delays in R6/2 corticostriatal transmission, leading to compensatory speeding of LFP activity, as evidenced by the presence of high frequency LFP oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Lee Hong
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Desirée Cossyleon
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Wajeeha A. Hussain
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Lauren J. Walker
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Scott J. Barton
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - George V. Rebec
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Figiel M, Szlachcic WJ, Switonski PM, Gabka A, Krzyzosiak WJ. Mouse models of polyglutamine diseases: review and data table. Part I. Mol Neurobiol 2012; 46:393-429. [PMID: 22956270 PMCID: PMC3461215 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-012-8315-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2012] [Accepted: 07/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Polyglutamine (polyQ) disorders share many similarities, such as a common mutation type in unrelated human causative genes, neurological character, and certain aspects of pathogenesis, including morphological and physiological neuronal alterations. The similarities in pathogenesis have been confirmed by findings that some experimental in vivo therapy approaches are effective in multiple models of polyQ disorders. Additionally, mouse models of polyQ diseases are often highly similar between diseases with respect to behavior and the features of the disease. The common features shared by polyQ mouse models may facilitate the investigation of polyQ disorders and may help researchers explore the mechanisms of these diseases in a broader context. To provide this context and to promote the understanding of polyQ disorders, we have collected and analyzed research data about the characterization and treatment of mouse models of polyQ diseases and organized them into two complementary Excel data tables. The data table that is presented in this review (Part I) covers the behavioral, molecular, cellular, and anatomic characteristics of polyQ mice and contains the most current knowledge about polyQ mouse models. The structure of this data table is designed in such a way that it can be filtered to allow for the immediate retrieval of the data corresponding to a single mouse model or to compare the shared and unique aspects of many polyQ models. The second data table, which is presented in another publication (Part II), covers therapeutic research in mouse models by summarizing all of the therapeutic strategies employed in the treatment of polyQ disorders, phenotypes that are used to examine the effects of the therapy, and therapeutic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maciej Figiel
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland.
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Kuljis D, Schroeder AM, Kudo T, Loh DH, Willison DL, Colwell CS. Sleep and circadian dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders: insights from a mouse model of Huntington's disease. MINERVA PNEUMOLOGICA 2012; 51:93-106. [PMID: 23687390 PMCID: PMC3655901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Sleep disorders are common in patients with neurogenerative diseases and manifest early in the disease process. Among a number of possible mechanisms underlying the sleep disturbances, there is evidence that dysfunction in the circadian system is a contributing factor. Focusing on a mouse model of Huntington's disease has enabled us to determine that at the onset of symptoms, spontaneous electrical activity of neurons within the central clock is disrupted even though the molecular clockwork is still functional. These findings suggest that the fundamental deficit contributing to disordered sleep is reduced SCN output. The mechanism underlying this deficit is not yet known, but mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are likely involved. Disruption of circadian output from the SCN would be expected to have wide ranging impact on the body including SCN regulated brain regions and the heart. In fact, there is a great deal of overlap in the non-motor symptoms experienced by HD patients and the consequences of circadian disruption. This raises the possibility that the disordered sleep and circadian function experienced by HD patients may be an integral part of the disease. Furthermore, we speculate that circadian dysfunction may accelerate the pathology underlying HD. If these hypotheses are correct, we should focus on treating circadian misalignment and sleep disruptions early in disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dika Kuljis
- Laboratory of Circadian and Sleep Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, United States
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Corticostriatal dysfunction and glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1) in Huntington's disease: interactions between neurons and astrocytes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 2:57-66. [PMID: 22905336 DOI: 10.1016/j.baga.2012.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's Disease (HD) is a fatally inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded glutamine repeat in the N-terminal region of the huntingtin (HTT) protein. The result is a progressively worsening triad of cognitive, emotional, and motor alterations that typically begin in adulthood and end in death 10-20 years later. Autopsy of HD patients indicates massive cell loss in the striatum and its main source of input, the cerebral cortex. Further studies of HD patients and transgenic animal models of HD indicate that corticostriatal neuronal processing is altered long before neuronal death takes place. In fact, altered neuronal function appears to be the primary driver of the HD behavioral phenotype, and dysregulation of glutamate, the excitatory amino acid released by corticostriatal afferents, is believed to play a critical role. Although mutant HTT interferes with the operation of multiple proteins related to glutamate transmission, consistent evidence links the expression of mutant HTT with reduced activity of glutamate transporter 1 (rodent GLT1 or human EAAT2), the astrocytic protein responsible for the bulk of glutamate uptake. Here, we review corticostriatal dysfunction in HD and focus on GLT1 and its expression in astrocytes as a possible therapeutic target.
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Ghiglieri V, Bagetta V, Calabresi P, Picconi B. Functional interactions within striatal microcircuit in animal models of Huntington's disease. Neuroscience 2012; 211:165-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.06.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2011] [Revised: 06/25/2011] [Accepted: 06/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Distinct neuronal coding schemes in memory revealed by selective erasure of fast synchronous synaptic transmission. Neuron 2012; 73:990-1001. [PMID: 22405208 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.12.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Neurons encode information by firing spikes in isolation or bursts and propagate information by spike-triggered neurotransmitter release that initiates synaptic transmission. Isolated spikes trigger neurotransmitter release unreliably but with high temporal precision. In contrast, bursts of spikes trigger neurotransmission reliably (i.e., boost transmission fidelity), but the resulting synaptic responses are temporally imprecise. However, the relative physiological importance of different spike-firing modes remains unclear. Here, we show that knockdown of synaptotagmin-1, the major Ca(2+) sensor for neurotransmitter release, abrogated neurotransmission evoked by isolated spikes but only delayed, without abolishing, neurotransmission evoked by bursts of spikes. Nevertheless, knockdown of synaptotagmin-1 in the hippocampal CA1 region did not impede acquisition of recent contextual fear memories, although it did impair the precision of such memories. In contrast, knockdown of synaptotagmin-1 in the prefrontal cortex impaired all remote fear memories. These results indicate that different brain circuits and types of memory employ distinct spike-coding schemes to encode and transmit information.
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Murphy-Nakhnikian A, Dorner JL, Fischer BI, Bower-Bir ND, Rebec GV. Abnormal burst patterns of single neurons recorded in the substantia nigra reticulata of behaving 140 CAG Huntington's disease mice. Neurosci Lett 2012; 512:1-5. [PMID: 22327034 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2011.12.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2011] [Revised: 12/01/2011] [Accepted: 12/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that causes neurological pathology in the basal ganglia and related circuitry. A key site of HD pathology is striatum, the principal basal ganglia input structure; striatal pathology likely changes basal ganglia output but no existing studies address this issue. In this report, we characterize single-neuron activity in the substantia nigra reticulata (SNr) of awake, freely behaving 140 CAG knock-in (KI) mice at 16-40 weeks. KI mice are a well characterized model of adult HD and are mildly symptomatic in this age range. As the primary basal ganglia output nucleus in rodents, the SNr receives direct innervation from striatum, as well as indirect influence via polysynaptic inputs. We analyzed 32 single neurons recorded from KI animals and 44 from wild-type (WT) controls. We found increased burst rates, without a concordant change in spike discharge rate, in KI animals relative to WTs. Furthermore, although metrics of burst structure, such as the inter-spike interval in bursts, do not differ between groups, burst rate increases with age in KI, but not WT, animals. Our findings suggest that altered basal ganglia output is a physiological feature of early HD pathology.
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Raymond LA, André VM, Cepeda C, Gladding CM, Milnerwood AJ, Levine MS. Pathophysiology of Huntington's disease: time-dependent alterations in synaptic and receptor function. Neuroscience 2011; 198:252-73. [PMID: 21907762 PMCID: PMC3221774 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.08.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2011] [Revised: 07/31/2011] [Accepted: 08/22/2011] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive, fatal neurological condition caused by an expansion of CAG (glutamine) repeats in the coding region of the Huntington gene. To date, there is no cure but great strides have been made to understand pathophysiological mechanisms. In particular, genetic animal models of HD have been instrumental in elucidating the progression of behavioral and physiological alterations, which had not been possible using classic neurotoxin models. Our groups have pioneered the use of transgenic HD mice to examine the excitotoxicity hypothesis of striatal neuronal dysfunction and degeneration, as well as alterations in excitation and inhibition in striatum and cerebral cortex. In this review, we focus on synaptic and receptor alterations of striatal medium-sized spiny (MSNs) and cortical pyramidal neurons in genetic HD mouse models. We demonstrate a complex series of alterations that are region-specific and time-dependent. In particular, many changes are bidirectional depending on the degree of disease progression, that is, early vs. late, and also on the region examined. Early synaptic dysfunction is manifested by dysregulated glutamate release in striatum followed by progressive disconnection between cortex and striatum. The differential effects of altered glutamate release on MSNs originating the direct and indirect pathways is also elucidated, with the unexpected finding that cells of the direct striatal pathway are involved early in the course of the disease. In addition, we review evidence for early N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) dysfunction leading to enhanced sensitivity of extrasynaptic receptors and a critical role of GluN2B subunits. Some of the alterations in late HD could be compensatory mechanisms designed to cope with early synaptic and receptor dysfunctions. The main findings indicate that HD treatments need to be designed according to the stage of disease progression and should consider regional differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn A. Raymond
- Department of Psychiatry and Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Véronique M. André
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Clare M. Gladding
- Department of Psychiatry and Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Austen J. Milnerwood
- Department of Psychiatry and Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Michael S. Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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