Sex and genotype differences in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease in response to environmental enrichment

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Sex and genotype differences in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease in response to environmental enrichment Nigel I. Wood1*, Elizabeth A. Skillings1, Catherine J. McAllister1, Valentina Carta1 and A. J. Morton1 1 University of Cambridge, Department of Pharmacology, United Kingdom Environmental enrichment in normal laboratory animals improves neurological function and performance in motor and cognitive tasks, and thus has been proposed as a strategy for treating neurodegenerative diseases. The effects of environmental enrichment have been investigated in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease (HD). We and others have shown that providing greater opportunity for social interaction, stimulation, exploration and physical activity improves survival of R6/2 mice. We have also shown previously that HD patients and R6/2 mice suffer from disruptions to their circadian rhythms, which may have a detrimental effect on cognition, general health and survival. In this study, we examined the effects of a daily period of environmental enrichment on the behavioural phenotype and circadian activity of R6/2 mice. Separate groups of mice received either daily exposure to a large playground box (containing running wheels and other toys), or remained in their home cage. These two groups were subdivided into handled (stimulated throughout the experimental period) or non-handled groups. All mice were assessed for survival, body weight, SHIRPA scores and cognitive performance in the Morris water maze (MWM). We found that mice given access to the playgrounds were more active throughout the enrichment period than home cage mice, regardless of genotype or sex. Male R6/2 playground mice had increased lifespan compared to the home cage group, but there was no effect on survival of female R6/2 mice. Handling had beneficial effects on body weight of male R6/2 mice, but a detrimental effect on R6/2 female mice (and no effect on WT mice of either sex). There was no effect of either enrichment or handling on performance of R6/2 mice in the MWM. This study shows that environmental enrichment has varying effects on R6/2 mice depending upon sex and genotype. The causes of these differences have yet to be identified, but may relate to stress responses. Support: CHDI Inc. Conference: 41st European Brain and Behaviour Society Meeting, Rhodes Island, Greece, 13 Sep - 18 Sep, 2009. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster presentations Citation: Wood NI, Skillings EA, McAllister CJ, Carta V and Morton AJ (2009). Sex and genotype differences in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease in response to environmental enrichment. Conference Abstract: 41st European Brain and Behaviour Society Meeting. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.08.2009.09.348 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 15 Jun 2009; Published Online: 15 Jun 2009. * Correspondence: Nigel I Wood, University of Cambridge, Department of Pharmacology, Paris, United Kingdom, niw20@cam.ac.uk Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Nigel I Wood Elizabeth A Skillings Catherine J McAllister Valentina Carta A. J Morton Google Nigel I Wood Elizabeth A Skillings Catherine J McAllister Valentina Carta A. J Morton Google Scholar Nigel I Wood Elizabeth A Skillings Catherine J McAllister Valentina Carta A. J Morton PubMed Nigel I Wood Elizabeth A Skillings Catherine J McAllister Valentina Carta A. J Morton Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.