Age- and region-dependent cortical excitability in the zQ175 Huntington disease mouse model.

The neurodegenerative disorder, Huntington disease (HD), manifests as disorders of movement, cognition and mood. Although studies report abnormal corticostriatal synaptic function early in HD mouse models, less is known about cortical-cortical activity across brain regions and disease stages. Recently, we reported enhanced mesoscale spread of cortical responses to sensory stimulation in vivo at early-manifest stages of two HD mouse models. Here, we investigated cortical excitability of zQ175 HD-model mice compared to their wild-type littermates across different cell types, ages and/or cortical regions using ex vivo electrophysiology. Cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs) in somatosensory cortex of zQ175 mice showed intrinsic hyper-excitability at 3-4 months, but hypo-excitability at early-manifest stage (8-9 months); reduced frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) was seen at both ages. In contrast, motor cortex CPNs in early-manifest zQ175 mice showed increased intrinsic excitability and sEPSC frequency. Large-amplitude excitatory discharges recorded from CPNs in early-manifest zQ175 mice showed increased frequency only in somatosensory cortex, suggesting the intrinsic hypo-excitability of these CPNs may be compensatory against cortical network hyper-excitability. Similarly, in early-manifest zQ175 mice, region-dependent differences were seen in fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs): somatosensory but not motor FSIs from early-manifest zQ175 mice had reduced intrinsic excitability. Moreover, CPNs showed decreased frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents and increased excitatory-inhibitory (E-I) balance of evoked synaptic currents in somatosensory cortex. Aberrant large-amplitude discharges and reduced inhibitory drive may therefore underlie E-I imbalances that result in circuit changes and synaptic dysfunction in early-manifest HD.

Deep behavioural phenotyping of the Q175 Huntington disease mouse model: effects of age, sex, and weight.

BACKGROUND: Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with complex motor and behavioural manifestations. The Q175 knock-in mouse model of HD has gained recent popularity as a genetically accurate model of the human disease. However, behavioural phenotypes are often subtle and progress slowly in this model. Here, we have implemented machine-learning algorithms to investigate behaviour in the Q175 model and compare differences between sexes and disease stages. We explore distinct behavioural patterns and motor functions in open field, rotarod, water T-maze, and home cage lever-pulling tasks. RESULTS: In the open field, we observed habituation deficits in two versions of the Q175 model (zQ175dn and Q175FDN, on two different background strains), and using B-SOiD, an advanced machine learning approach, we found altered performance of rearing in male manifest zQ175dn mice. Notably, we found that weight had a considerable effect on performance of accelerating rotarod and water T-maze tasks and controlled for this by normalizing for weight. Manifest zQ175dn mice displayed a deficit in accelerating rotarod (after weight normalization), as well as changes to paw kinematics specific to males. Our water T-maze experiments revealed response learning deficits in manifest zQ175dn mice and reversal learning deficits in premanifest male zQ175dn mice; further analysis using PyMouseTracks software allowed us to characterize new behavioural features in this task, including time at decision point and number of accelerations. In a home cage-based lever-pulling assessment, we found significant learning deficits in male manifest zQ175dn mice. A subset of mice also underwent electrophysiology slice experiments, revealing a reduced spontaneous excitatory event frequency in male manifest zQ175dn mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our study uncovered several behavioural changes in Q175 mice that differed by sex, age, and strain. Our results highlight the impact of weight and experimental protocol on behavioural results, and the utility of machine learning tools to examine behaviour in more detailed ways than was previously possible. Specifically, this work provides the field with an updated overview of behavioural impairments in this model of HD, as well as novel techniques for dissecting behaviour in the open field, accelerating rotarod, and T-maze tasks.

Activin A targets extrasynaptic NMDA receptors to ameliorate neuronal and behavioral deficits in a mouse model of Huntington disease.

Cortical-striatal synaptic dysfunction, including enhanced toxic signaling by extrasynaptic N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (eNMDARs), precedes neurodegeneration in Huntington disease (HD). A previous study showed Activin A, whose transcription is upregulated by calcium influx via synaptic NMDARs, suppresses eNMDAR signaling. Therefore, we examined the role of Activin A in the YAC128 HD mouse model, comparing it to wild-type controls. We found decreased Activin A secretion in YAC128 cortical-striatal co-cultures, while Activin A overexpression in this model rescued altered eNMDAR expression. Striatal overexpression of Activin A in vivo improved motor learning on the rotarod task, and normalized striatal neuronal eNMDAR-mediated currents, membrane capacitance and spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current frequency in the YAC128 mice. These results support the therapeutic potential of Activin A signaling and targeting eNMDARs to restore striatal neuronal health and ameliorate behavioral deficits in HD.

Regulation of hippocampal excitatory synapses by the Zdhhc5 palmitoyl acyltransferase.

Palmitoylation is the most common post-translational lipid modification in the brain; however, the role of palmitoylation and palmitoylating enzymes in the nervous system remains elusive. One of these enzymes, Zdhhc5, has previously been shown to regulate synapse plasticity. Here, we report that Zdhhc5 is also essential for the formation of excitatory, but not inhibitory, synapses both in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate in vitro that this is dependent on the enzymatic activity of Zdhhc5, its localization at the plasma membrane and its C-terminal domain, which has been shown to be truncated in a patient with schizophrenia. Loss of Zdhhc5 in mice results in a decrease in the density of excitatory hippocampal synapses accompanied by alterations in membrane capacitance and synaptic currents, consistent with an overall decrease in spine number and silent synapses. These findings reveal an important role for Zdhhc5 in the formation and/or maintenance of excitatory synapses.

Impaired Refinement of Kinematic Variability in Huntington Disease Mice on an Automated Home Cage Forelimb Motor Task.

The effective development of novel therapies in mouse models of neurologic disorders relies on behavioral assessments that provide accurate read-outs of neuronal dysfunction and/or degeneration. We designed an automated behavioral testing system (PiPaw), which integrates an operant lever-pulling task directly into the mouse home cage. This task is accessible to group-housed mice 24 h per day, enabling high-throughput longitudinal analysis of forelimb motor learning. Moreover, this design eliminates the need for exposure to novel environments and minimizes experimenter interaction, significantly reducing two of the largest stressors associated with animal behavior. Male mice improved their performance of this task over 1 week of testing by reducing intertrial variability of reward-related kinematic parameters (pull amplitude or peak velocity). In addition, mice displayed short-term improvements in reward rate, and a concomitant decrease in movement variability, over the course of brief bouts of task engagement. We used this system to assess motor learning in mouse models of the inherited neurodegenerative disorder, Huntington disease (HD). Despite having no baseline differences in task performance, male Q175-FDN HD mice were unable to modulate the variability of their movements to increase reward on either short or long timescales. Task training was associated with a decrease in the amplitude of spontaneous excitatory activity recorded from striatal medium spiny neurons in the hemisphere contralateral to the trained forelimb in WT mice; however, no such changes were observed in Q175-FDN mice. This behavioral screening platform should prove useful for preclinical drug trials toward improved treatments in HD and other neurologic disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In order to develop effective therapies for neurologic disorders, such as Huntington disease (HD), it is important to be able to accurately and reliably assess the behavior of mouse models of these conditions. Moreover, these behavioral assessments should provide an accurate readout of underlying neuronal dysfunction and/or degeneration. In this paper, we used an automated behavioral testing system to assess motor learning in mice within their home cage. Using this system, we were able to study motor abnormalities in HD mice with an unprecedented level of detail, and identified a specific behavioral deficit associated with an underlying impairment in striatal neuronal plasticity. These results validate the usefulness of this system for assessing behavior in mouse models of HD and other neurologic disorders.

Altered cortical processing of sensory input in Huntington disease mouse models.

Huntington disease (HD), a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder, manifests as progressively impaired movement and cognition. Although early abnormalities of neuronal activity in striatum are well established in HD models, there are fewer in vivo studies of the cortex. Here, we record local field potentials (LFPs) in YAC128 HD model mice versus wild-type mice. In multiple cortical areas, limb sensory stimulation evokes a greater change in LFP power in YAC128 mice. Mesoscopic imaging using voltage-sensitive dyes reveals more extensive spread of evoked sensory signals across the cortical surface in YAC128 mice. YAC128 layer 2/3 sensory cortical neurons ex vivo show increased excitatory events, which could contribute to enhanced sensory responses in vivo. Cortical LFP responses to limb stimulation, visual and auditory input are also significantly increased in zQ175 HD mice. Results presented here extend knowledge of HD beyond ex vivo studies of individual neurons to the intact cortical network.

Early Changes in Striatal Activity and Motor Kinematics in a Huntington's Disease Mouse Model.

BACKGROUND: Huntington's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no disease-modifying treatments. Patients experience motor, cognitive, and psychiatric disturbances, and the dorsal striatum is the main target of neurodegeneration. Mouse models of Huntington's disease show altered striatal synaptic signaling in vitro, but how these changes relate to behavioral deficits in vivo is unclear. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate how striatal activity correlates with behavior in vivo during motor learning and spontaneous behavior in a Huntington's disease mouse model at two disease stages. METHODS: We used fiber photometry to record jGCaMP7f fluorescence, a read-out of neuronal activity, in the dorsal striatum of YAC128 (yeast artificial chromosome-128CAG) mice during accelerating rotarod and open-field behavior. RESULTS: Mice showed increased striatal activity on the rotarod, which diminished by late stages of learning, leading to an inverse correlation between latency to fall and striatal activity. The 2- to 3-month-old YAC128 mice did not show a deficit in latency to fall, but displayed significant differences in paw kinematics, including increased paw slip frequency and variability in paw height. These mice exhibited a weaker correlation between latency to fall and striatal activity and aberrant striatal activity during paw slips. At 6 to 7 months, the YAC128 mice showed significantly reduced latency to fall, impaired paw kinematics, and increased striatal activity while on the rotarod. In the open field, the YAC128 mice showed elevated neuronal activity at rest. CONCLUSIONS: We uncovered impaired motor coordination at a stage thought to be premotor manifest in YAC128 mice and aberrant striatal activity during the accelerating rotarod and open-field exploration. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Endocannabinoid-Specific Impairment in Synaptic Plasticity in Striatum of Huntington's Disease Mouse Model.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease affecting predominantly striatum and cortex that results in motor and cognitive disorders. Before a motor phenotype, animal models of HD show aberrant cortical-striatal glutamate signaling. Here, we tested synaptic plasticity of cortical excitatory synapses onto striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs) early in the YAC128 mouse model of HD. High-frequency stimulation-induced long-term depression, mediated by the endocannabinoid anandamide and cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), was significantly attenuated in male and female YAC128 SPNs. Indirect pathway SPNs, which are more vulnerable in HD, were most affected. Our experiments show metabotropic glutamate receptor and endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol-dependent plasticity, as well as direct CB1 activation by agonists, was similar in YAC128 and FVB/N wild-type SPNs suggesting that presynaptic CB1 is functioning normally. These results are consistent with a specific impairment in postsynaptic anandamide synthesis in YAC128 SPN. Strikingly, although suppression of degradation of anandamide was not effective, elevating 2-arachidonoylglycerol levels restored long-term depression in YAC128 striatal neurons. Together, these results have potential implications for neuroprotection and ameliorating early cognitive and motor deficits in HD.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease with no cure. Recent studies find impairment of the endocannabinoid system in animal models but the functional implication for synaptic plasticity in HD remains unclear. Sepers et al. show a selective deficit in synaptic plasticity mediated by the endocannabinoid anandamide, but not 2-arachidonoylglycerol in a mouse model of HD. The deficit is rescued by selectively elevating levels of 2-arachidonoylglycerol produced on-demand. This mechanism could be targeted in the development of future therapeutics for HD.

Alterations in synaptic function and plasticity in Huntington disease.

Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of the CAG repeat region in the first exon of the huntingtin gene. Neurodegeneration, which begins in the striatum and then spreads to other brain areas, is preceded by dysfunction in multiple aspects of neurotransmission across a variety of brain areas. This review will provide an overview of the neurochemical mediators and modulators of synaptic transmission that are disrupted in HD. This includes classical neurotransmitters like glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid, modulators such as dopamine, adenosine and endocannabinoids, and molecules like brain-derived neurotrophic factor which affect neurotransmission in a more indirect manner. Alterations in the functioning of these signaling pathways can occur across multiple brain regions such as striatum, cortex and hippocampus, and affect transmission and plasticity at the synapses within these regions, which may ultimately change behaviour and contribute to the pathophysiology of HD. The current state of knowledge in this area has already yielded useful information about the causes of synaptic dysfunction and selective cell death. A full understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of disruptions in synaptic function and plasticity will lend insight into the development of the symptoms of HD, and potential drug targets for ameliorating them.

Influence of cortical synaptic input on striatal neuronal dendritic arborization and sensitivity to excitotoxicity in corticostriatal coculture.

Corticostriatal cocultures are utilized to recapitulate the cortex-striatum connection in vitro as a convenient model to investigate the development, function, and regulation of synapses formed between cortical and striatal neurons. However, optimization of this dissociated neuronal system to more closely reproduce in vivo circuits has not yet been explored. We studied the effect of varying the plating ratio of cortical to striatal neurons on striatal spiny projection neuron (SPN) characteristics in primary neuronal cocultures. Despite the large difference in cortical-striatal neuron ratio (1:1 vs. 1:3) at day of plating, by 18 days in vitro the difference became modest (∼25% lower cortical-striatal neuron ratio in 1:3 cocultures) and the neuronal density was lower in the 1:3 cocultures, indicating enhanced loss of striatal SPNs. Comparing SPNs in cocultures plated at a 1:1 vs. 1:3 ratio, we found that resting membrane potential, input resistance, current injection-induced action potential firing rates, and input-output curves were similar in the two conditions. However, SPNs in the cocultures plated at the lower cortical ratio exhibited reduced membrane capacitance along with significantly shorter total dendritic length, decreased dendritic complexity, and fewer excitatory synapses, consistent with their trend toward reduced miniature excitatory postsynaptic current frequency. Strikingly, the proportion of NMDA receptors found extrasynaptically in recordings from SPNs was significantly higher in the less cortical coculture. Consistently, SPNs in cocultures with reduced cortical input showed decreased basal pro-survival signaling through cAMP response element binding protein and enhanced sensitivity to NMDA-induced apoptosis. Altogether, our study indicates that abundance of cortical input regulates SPN dendritic arborization and survival/death signaling.

Chronic blockade of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors ameliorates synaptic dysfunction and pro-death signaling in Huntington disease transgenic mice.

In the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington disease (HD), elevated extrasynaptic NMDA receptor (Ex-NMDAR) expression contributes to the onset of striatal dysfunction and atrophy. A shift in the balance of synaptic-extrasynaptic NMDAR signaling and localization is paralleled by early stage dysregulation of intracellular calcium signaling pathways, including calpain and p38 MAPK activation, that couple to pro-death cascades. However, whether aberrant calcium signaling is a consequence of elevated Ex-NMDAR expression in HD is unknown. Here, we aimed to identify calcium-dependent pathways downstream of Ex-NMDARs in HD. Chronic (2-month) treatment of YAC128 and WT mice with memantine (1 and 10mg/kg/day), which at a low dose selectively blocks Ex-NMDARs, reduced striatal Ex-NMDAR expression and current in 4-month old YAC128 mice without altering synaptic NMDAR levels. In contrast, calpain activity was not affected by memantine treatment, and was elevated in untreated YAC128 mice at 1.5months but not 4months of age. In YAC128 mice, memantine at 1mg/kg/day rescued CREB shut-off, while both doses suppressed p38 MAPK activation to WT levels. Taken together, our results indicate that Ex-NMDAR activity perpetuates increased extrasynaptic NMDAR expression and drives dysregulated p38 MAPK and CREB signaling in YAC128 mice. Elucidation of the pathways downstream of Ex-NMDARs in HD could help provide novel therapeutic targets for this disease.

Genetic rescue of CB1 receptors on medium spiny neurons prevents loss of excitatory striatal synapses but not motor impairment in HD mice.

Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by an expanded polyglutamine repeat in huntingtin protein that disrupts synaptic function in specific neuronal populations and results in characteristic motor, cognitive and affective deficits. Histopathological hallmarks observed in both HD patients and genetic mouse models include the reduced expression of synaptic proteins, reduced medium spiny neuron (MSN) dendritic spine density and decreased frequency of spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic currents (sEPSCs). Early down-regulation of cannabinoid CB1 receptor expression on MSN (CB1(MSN)) is thought to participate in HD pathogenesis. Here we present a cell-specific genetic rescue of CB1(MSN) in R6/2 mice and report that treatment prevents the reduction of excitatory synaptic markers in the striatum (synaptophysin, vGLUT1 and vGLUT2), of dendritic spine density on MSNs and of MSN sEPSCs, but does not prevent motor impairment. We conclude that loss of excitatory striatal synapses in HD mice is controlled by CB1(MSN) and can be uncoupled from the motor phenotype.

Calpain and STriatal-Enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) activation contribute to extrasynaptic NMDA receptor localization in a Huntington's disease mouse model.

In Huntington's disease (HD), the mutant huntingtin (mhtt) protein is associated with striatal dysfunction and degeneration. Excitotoxicity and early synaptic defects are attributed, in part, to altered NMDA receptor (NMDAR) trafficking and function. Deleterious extrasynaptic NMDAR localization and signalling are increased early in yeast artificial chromosome mice expressing full-length mhtt with 128 polyglutamine repeats (YAC128 mice). NMDAR trafficking at the plasma membrane is regulated by dephosphorylation of the NMDAR subunit GluN2B tyrosine 1472 (Y1472) residue by STriatal-Enriched protein tyrosine Phosphatase (STEP). NMDAR function is also regulated by calpain cleavage of the GluN2B C-terminus. Activation of both STEP and calpain is calcium-dependent, and disruption of calcium homeostasis occurs early in the HD striatum. Here, we show increased calpain cleavage of GluN2B at both synaptic and extrasynaptic sites, and elevated extrasynaptic total GluN2B expression in the YAC128 striatum. Calpain inhibition significantly reduced extrasynaptic GluN2B expression in the YAC128 but not wild-type striatum. Furthermore, calpain inhibition reduced whole-cell NMDAR current and the surface/internal GluN2B ratio in co-cultured striatal neurons, without affecting synaptic GluN2B localization. Synaptic STEP activity was also significantly higher in the YAC128 striatum, correlating with decreased GluN2B Y1472 phosphorylation. A substrate-trapping STEP protein (TAT-STEP C-S) significantly increased VGLUT1-GluN2B colocalization, as well as increasing synaptic GluN2B expression and Y1472 phosphorylation. Moreover, combined calpain inhibition and STEP inactivation reduced extrasynaptic, while increasing synaptic GluN2B expression in the YAC128 striatum. These results indicate that increased STEP and calpain activation contribute to altered NMDAR localization in an HD mouse model, suggesting new therapeutic targets for HD.

Opposing roles of synaptic and extrasynaptic NMDA receptor signaling in cocultured striatal and cortical neurons.

The NMDAR plays a unique and vital role in subcellular signaling. Calcium influx initiates signaling cascades important for both synaptic plasticity and survival; however, overactivation of the receptor leads to toxicity and cell death. This dichotomy is partially explained by the subcellular location of the receptor. NMDARs located at the synapse stimulate cell survival pathways, while extrasynaptic receptors signal for cell death. Thus far, this interplay between synaptic and extrasynaptic NMDARs has been studied exclusively in cortical (CTX) and hippocampal neurons. It was unknown whether other cell types, such as GABAergic medium-sized spiny projection neurons of the striatum (MSNs), which bear the brunt of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease, follow the same pattern. Here we report synaptic versus extrasynaptic NMDAR signaling in striatal MSNs and resultant activation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), in rat primary corticostriatal cocultures. Similarly to CTX, we found in striatal MSNs that synaptic NMDARs activate CREB, whereas extrasynaptic NMDARs dominantly oppose CREB activation. However, MSNs are much less susceptible to NMDA-mediated toxicity than CTX cells and show differences in subcellular GluN2B distribution. Blocking NMDARs with memantine (30 µm) or GluN2B-containing receptors with ifenprodil (3 µm) prevents CREB shutoff effectively in CTX and MSNs, and also rescues both neuronal types from NMDA-mediated toxicity. This work may provide cell and NMDAR subtype-specific targets for treatment of diseases with putative NMDAR involvement, including neurodegenerative disorders and ischemia.

Water-Reaching Platform for Longitudinal Assessment of Cortical Activity and Fine Motor Coordination Defects in a Huntington Disease Mouse Model.

Huntington disease (HD), caused by dominantly inherited expansions of a CAG repeat results in characteristic motor dysfunction. Although gross motor defects have been extensively characterized in multiple HD mouse models using tasks such as rotarod and beam walking, less is known about forelimb deficits. We develop a high-throughput alternating reward/nonreward water-reaching task and training protocol conducted daily over approximately two months to simultaneously monitor forelimb impairment and mesoscale cortical changes in GCaMP activity, comparing female zQ175 (HD) and wild-type (WT) littermate mice, starting at ∼5.5 months. Behavioral analysis of the water-reaching task reveals that HD mice, despite learning the water-reaching task as proficiently as wild-type mice, take longer to learn the alternating event sequence as evident by impulsive (noncued) reaches and initially display reduced cortical activity associated with successful reaches. At this age gross motor defects determined by tapered beam assessment were not apparent. Although wild-type mice displayed no significant changes in cortical activity and reaching trajectory throughout the testing period, HD mice exhibited an increase in cortical activity, especially in the secondary motor and retrosplenial cortices, over time, as well as longer and more variable reaching trajectories by approximately seven months. HD mice also experienced a progressive reduction in successful performance. Tapered beam and rotarod tests as well as reduced DARPP-32 expression (striatal medium spiny neuron marker) after water-reaching assessment confirmed HD pathology. The water-reaching task can be used to inform on a daily basis, HD and other movement disorder onset and manifestation, therapeutic intervention windows, and test drug efficacy.

Mitigation of augmented extrasynaptic NMDAR signaling and apoptosis in cortico-striatal co-cultures from Huntington's disease mice.

We recently reported evidence for disturbed synaptic versus extrasynaptic NMDAR transmission in the early pathogenesis of Huntington's disease (HD), a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder caused by CAG repeat expansion in the gene encoding huntingtin. Studies in glutamatergic cells indicate that synaptic NMDAR transmission increases phosphorylated cyclic-AMP response element binding protein (pCREB) levels and drives neuroprotective gene transcription, whereas extrasynaptic NMDAR activation reduces pCREB and promotes cell death. By generating striatal and cortical neuronal co-cultures to investigate the glutamatergic innervation of striatal neurons, we demonstrate that dichotomous synaptic and extrasynaptic NMDAR signaling also occurs in GABAergic striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs), which are acutely vulnerable in HD. Further, we show that wild-type (WT) and HD transgenic YAC128 MSNs co-cultured with cortical cells have similar levels of glutamatergic synapses, synaptic NMDAR currents and synaptic GluN2B and GluN2A subunit-containing NMDARs. However, NMDAR whole-cell, and especially extrasynaptic, current is elevated in YAC128 MSNs. Moreover, GluN2B subunit-containing NMDAR surface expression is markedly increased, irrespective of whether or not the co-cultured cortical cells express mutant huntingtin. The data suggest that MSN cell-autonomous increases in extrasynaptic NMDARs are driven by the HD mutation. Consistent with these results, we find that extrasynaptic NMDAR-induced pCREB reductions and apoptosis are also augmented in YAC128 MSNs. Moreover, both NMDAR-mediated apoptosis and CREB-off signaling are blocked by co-application of either memantine or the GluN2B subunit-selective antagonist ifenprodil in YAC128 MSNs. GluN2A-subunit-selective concentrations of the antagonist NVP-AAM077 did not reduce cell death in either genotype. Cortico-striatal co-cultures provide an in vitro model system in which to better investigate striatal neuronal dysfunction in disease than mono-cultured striatal cells. Results from the use of this system, which partially recapitulates the cortico-striatal circuit and is amenable to acute genetic and pharmacological manipulations, suggest that pathophysiological NMDAR signaling is an intrinsic frailty in HD MSNs that can be successfully targeted by pharmacological interventions.

Mechanisms of synaptic dysfunction and excitotoxicity in Huntington's disease.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder of movement, mood and cognition, caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin (Htt) protein. Genetic mouse models of HD, along with improved imaging techniques in humans at risk of, or affected by, HD, have advanced understanding of the cellular and/or molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis. The striatum begins to degenerate before other brain areas, and altered activity at corticostriatal synapses contributes to an imbalance in survival versus death signaling pathways in this brain region. Striatal projection neurons of the indirect pathway are most vulnerable, and their dysfunction contributes to motor symptoms at early stages of the disease. Mutant Htt expression changes striatal excitatory synaptic activity by decreasing glutamate uptake and increasing signaling at N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDAR). A variety of studies indicate that reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) transcription, transport and signaling contribute importantly to striatal neuronal dysfunction and degeneration in HD. Striatal dopamine and endocannabinoid signaling are also altered and progressively become dysfunctional. Changes at striatal neurons vary with the stage of disease and clinical symptoms. Therapeutics targeting multiple neurotransmitter signaling systems could support physiological synaptic function and delay disease onset.