Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by uncontrollable dance-like movements, as well as cognitive deficits and mood changes. A feature of HD is a metabolic disturbance that precedes neurological symptoms. In addition, brain cholesterol synthesis is significantly reduced, which could hamper synaptic transmission.
Objective: Alterations in lipid metabolism as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in the R6/2 mouse model of HD were examined.
Methods: Electrophysiological recordings in vitro examined the acute effects of cholesterol-modifying drugs. In addition, behavioral testing, effects on synaptic activity, and measurements of circulating and brain tissue concentrations of cholesterol and the ketone β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), were examined in symptomatic R6/2 mice and littermate controls raised on normal chow or a ketogenic diet (KD).
Results: Whole-cell voltage clamp recordings of striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) from symptomatic R6/2 mice showed increased frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) compared with littermate controls. Incubation of slices in cholesterol reduced the frequency of large-amplitude sIPSCs. Addition of BHB or the Liver X Receptor (LXR) agonist T0901317 reduced the frequency and amplitude of sIPSCs. Surprisingly, incubation in simvastatin to reduce cholesterol levels also decreased the frequency of sIPSCs. HD mice fed the KD lost weight more gradually, performed better in an open field, had fewer stereotypies and lower brain levels of cholesterol than mice fed a regular diet.
Conclusions: Lipid metabolism represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention in HD. Modifying cholesterol or ketone levels acutely in the brain can partially rescue synaptic alterations, and the KD can prevent weight loss and improve some behavioral abnormalities.
Keywords: R6/2 model; cholesterol; electrophysiology; ketogenic diet; synaptic activity.