Developmental Whole Brain White Matter Alterations in Transgenic Huntington's Disease Monkey.
Transgenic Huntington's disease monkey (HD monkey) model provides great opportunity for studying disease progression that could lead to new insight for developing biomarker, early intervention and novel therapeutics. Whole brain white matter integrity of HD-monkeys was examined longitudinally from 6 to 48 months using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Progressive developmental white matter alterations in HD monkeys were widespread and were observed not only in fiber bundles connecting cortical areas to the striatum (e.g. striatal bundle and external capsule), but also in long association fiber pathways, commissural fibers, and subcortical fiber bundle. In all fiber tracts, the data indicate an arrest in white matter development around 23 months followed by slight decline until adulthood in HD monkeys. The microstructural changes parallel the progressive motor, memory and cognitive decline previously reported as HD monkeys aged. The findings revealed the widespread progressive temporal-spatial microstructural changes in HD monkey brains from infancy to adulthood, suggesting differentiated degenerations across different brain areas during brain development.
Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Yuguang
Y
Meng
Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.|Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Jie
J
Jiang
Department of Psychology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. jbachev@emory.edu.|Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. jbachev@emory.edu.
Jocelyne
J
Bachevalier
Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. xzhang8@emory.edu.|Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. xzhang8@emory.edu.
Xiaodong
X
Zhang
Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. awchan@emory.edu.|Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. awchan@emory.edu.
Anthony W S
AW
Chan
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology*