Animal models of Huntington's disease.

Abstract

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominantly inherited progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The main symptoms are choreiform, involuntary movements, personality changes and dementia. Huntington's disease is a member of a group of diseases caused by CAG repeat expansions. One research aim is to determine the earliest molecular changes associated with Huntington's disease. There is no possibility for this in humans, but various early changes have been identified in an animal model of Huntington's disease. They are constructed by excitotoxin causing striatal lesion, or mitochondrial toxins inducing energy impairment, or by generating transgenic mice.