Selective sparing of a class of striatal neurons in Huntington's disease.

A distinct subpopulation of striatal aspiny neurons, containing the enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase, is preserved in the caudate nucleus in Huntington's disease. Biochemical assays confirmed a significant increase in the activity of this enzyme in both the caudate nucleus and putamen in postmortem brain tissue from patients with this disease. The resistance of these neurons suggests that the gene defect in Huntington's disease may be modifiable by the local biochemical environment. This finding may provide insight into the nature of the genetically programmed cell death that is a characteristic of the disease.

[1]  P. Emson,et al.  Survival of basal ganglia neuropeptide Y-somatostatin neurones in Huntington's disease , 1985, Brain Research.

[2]  D. Landis,et al.  Huntington's disease is accompanied by changes in the distribution of somatostatin-containing neuronal processes , 1985, Brain Research.

[3]  G. Graveland,et al.  Evidence for degenerative and regenerative changes in neostriatal spiny neurons in Huntington's disease. , 1985, Science.

[4]  Joseph B. Martin.  Huntington's disease , 1984, Neurology.

[5]  R. Schwarcz,et al.  II: Excitotoxic models for neurodegenerative disorders , 1984 .

[6]  A. Young,et al.  A polymorphic DNA marker genetically linked to Huntington's disease , 1983, Nature.

[7]  M. Cuénod,et al.  Identification of quinolinic acid in rat and human brain tissue , 1983, Neuroscience Letters.

[8]  H. Kimura,et al.  Demonstration of a unique population of neurons with NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry , 1983, Journal of Neuroscience Methods.

[9]  C. Nemeroff,et al.  Regional brain concentrations of neuropeptides in Huntington's chorea and schizophrenia. , 1983, Science.

[10]  T. Hökfelt,et al.  NADPH‐diaphorase: A selective histochemical marker for striatal neurons containing both somatostatin‐ and avian pancreatic polypeptide (APP)‐like immunoreactivities , 1983, The Journal of comparative neurology.

[11]  S. Vincent,et al.  Striatal neurons containing both somatostatin‐ and avian pancreatic polypeptide (APP)‐like immunoreactivities and NADPH‐diaphorase activity: A light and electron microscopic study , 1983, The Journal of comparative neurology.

[12]  Joseph B. Martin,et al.  Somatostatin is increased in the basal ganglia in Huntington disease , 1983, Annals of neurology.

[13]  F. Gella,et al.  Colorimetry of diaphorase in commercial preparations and clinical chemical reagents by use of tetrazolium salts. , 1981, Clinical chemistry.

[14]  J. Edwards,et al.  HUNTINGTON'S CHOREA , 1977, The Lancet.

[15]  R. Friede,et al.  A MAPPING OF OXIDATIVE ENZYMES IN THE HUMAN BRAIN * , 1962, Journal of neurochemistry.