title: Genotype specific age related changes in a transgenic rat model of Huntington's disease.
abstract: We aimed to characterize the transgenic Huntington rat model with in vivo imaging and identify sensitive and reliable biomarkers associated with early and progressive disease status. In order to do so, we performed a multimodality (DTI and PET) longitudinal imaging study, during which the same TgHD and wildtype (Wt) rats were repetitively scanned. Surprisingly, the relative ventricle volume was smaller but increased faster in TgHD compared to Wt animals. DTI (mean, axial, radial diffusivity) revealed subtle genotype-specific aging effects in the striatum and its surrounding white matter, already in the presymptomatic stage. Using ¹⁸F-FDG and ¹⁸F-Fallypride PET imaging, we were not able to demonstrate genotype-specific aging effects within the striatum. The outcome of this longitudinal study was somewhat surprising as it demonstrated a significant differential aging pattern in TgHD versus Wt animals. Although it seems that the TgHD rat model does not have a sufficient expression of disease yet at the age of 12 months, further validation of this model is highly beneficial since there is still an incomplete understanding of the early disease mechanisms of Huntington's disease.
authors.affiliation: Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blockx
authors.forename: Nadja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Camp
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verhoye
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boisgard
authors.forename: Albertine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jego
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jonckers
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raber
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Siquier
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kuhnast
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dollé
authors.forename: Huu Phuc
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Von Hörsten
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tavitian
authors.forename: Annemie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van der Linden
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001549:Benzamides; D015415:Biomarkers; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005838:Genotype; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D051381:Rats; D055647:Rats, Transgenic
chemical_list: D001549:Benzamides; D015415:Biomarkers; C094948:N-((1-allyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)methyl)-5-(3-fluoropropyl)-2,3-dimethoxybenzamide; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18