Environmental factors as modulators of neurodegeneration: insights from gene-environment interactions in Huntington's disease

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
Christina MoThibault Renoir

Abstract

Unlike many other neurodegenerative diseases with established gene-environment interactions, Huntington's disease (HD) is viewed as a disorder governed by genetics. The cause of the disease is a highly penetrant tandem repeat expansion encoding an extended polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein. In the year 2000, a pioneering study showed that the disease could be delayed in transgenic mice by enriched housing conditions. This review describes subsequent human and preclinical studies identifying environmental modulation of motor, cognitive, affective and other symptoms found in HD. Alongside the behavioral observations we also discuss potential mechanisms and the relevance to other neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In mouse models of HD, increased sensorimotor and cognitive stimulation can delay or ameliorate various endophenotypes. Potential mechanisms include increased trophic support, synaptic plasticity, adult neurogenesis, and other forms of experience-dependent cellular plasticity. Subsequent clinical investigations support a role for lifetime activity levels in modulating the onset and progression of HD. Stress can accelerate memory and olfactory deficits and exacerbate ce...Continue Reading

References

Jul 1, 1986·Human Genetics·J G van DijkG W Bruyn
Jan 1, 1986·Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry·P Willner
Sep 1, 1996·American Journal of Public Health·P A SchulteJ Johnson
Jan 1, 1997·American Journal of Epidemiology·S KalmijnD Kromhout
Jul 29, 1998·Brain : a Journal of Neurology·A D LawrenceB J Sahakian
May 20, 2000·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·G W RossL R White
Mar 16, 2001·Trends in Neurosciences·H Würbel
Jun 28, 2002·Physiological Reviews·Mark P MattsonWenzhen Duan
Aug 8, 2002·Archives of Neurology·Jose A LuchsingerRichard Mayeux
Oct 24, 2002·Blood·Shannon M Bates, Jeffrey S Ginsberg
Feb 18, 2003·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Wenzhen DuanMark P Mattson
Apr 25, 2003·Trends in Genetics : TIG·Katharine L Sugars, David C Rubinsztein
May 9, 2003·Experimental Aging Research·Hans BosmaJelle Jolles
Jun 20, 2003·Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology·Yaakov Stern
Dec 18, 2003·American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part a·M H AncaN Giladi
Dec 30, 2003·BioFactors·M Flint Beal, Clifford W Shults
Mar 11, 2004·Health Psychology : Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association·Reinier TimmanAad Tibben
Apr 15, 2004·Experimental Neurology·Gabriele SchillingDavid R Borchelt
May 26, 2004·Lancet Neurology·Laura FratiglioniBengt Winblad
Oct 12, 2004·Hippocampus·Daniel T RadeckiTimothy J Teyler
Feb 18, 2005·NeuroRx : the Journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics·Richard H Myers
Mar 29, 2005·Nature Genetics·J Alex ParkerChristian Néri
Jun 16, 2005·Archives of Neurology·Joseph H FriedmanHubert H Fernandez
Aug 10, 2005·Nutrition·Araceli TrejoLeora Velásquez
May 3, 2006·Neurobiology of Disease·Alessia TarditiMaria P Abbracchio

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jun 17, 2016·Scientific Reports·Florian ReichmannGerd Leitinger
Jun 20, 2017·Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy : JNPT·Teresa Jacobson KimberleyDeborah Larsen
Jun 28, 2017·Pediatric Physical Therapy : the Official Publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association·Teresa Jacobson KimberleyDeborah Larsen
Feb 6, 2018·Nature Reviews. Genetics·Anthony J Hannan
Feb 13, 2018·Human Molecular Genetics·Eric N AndersonUdai Bhan Pandey
Apr 13, 2018·Scientific Reports·Arianna NovatiJulia M Schulze-Hentrich
Jan 4, 2018·Movement Disorders : Official Journal of the Movement Disorder Society·Caroline TannerUNKNOWN Huntington Study Group Prospective Huntington At-Risk Observational Study Investigators
Oct 3, 2017·Journal of Huntington's Disease·Nora E FritzLori Quinn
Sep 22, 2019·Molecules : a Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry·Tatiana A ChernovaKeith D Wilkinson
Mar 28, 2017·Reviews in the Neurosciences·Alfredo Meneses
Jun 8, 2019·Molecular Medicine Reports·Weihua ChenQinwen Wang
Nov 20, 2016·Scientific Reports·Hugo Vicente MirandaTiago Fleming Outeiro
Jul 15, 2017·JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports·Lori QuinnAshwini Rao
Aug 2, 2016·Expert Review of Proteomics·Mauro FasanoTiziana Alberio
May 17, 2019·Journal of Neurochemistry·Amy I Smith-DijakLynn A Raymond
Jul 5, 2019·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Wendy Verónica Herrera-MoralesLuis Núñez-Jaramillo
Jan 11, 2020·Journal of Sport and Health Science·Shanshan GuoTiemin Liu
Mar 8, 2021·Toxicological Sciences : an Official Journal of the Society of Toxicology·Anke M TukkerKimberly A McAllister
Jun 12, 2020·Neurobiology of Disease·Carolina GubertAnthony J Hannan
Aug 5, 2021·Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases·Marie N N HellemJørgen E Nielsen

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cachexia & Brown Fat

Cachexia is a condition associated with progressive weight loss due to severe illness. In cancer patients, it is proposed to occur as a result of tumor-induced energy wasting. Several proteins have been implicated in browning and depletion of white adipose tissue. Here is the latest research on cachexia and brown fat.

Cardiac Cachexia

Cardiac cachexia is a syndrome associated with the progressive loss of muscle and fat mass. It most commonly affects patients with heart failure and can significantly decrease the quality of life and survival in these patients. Here is the latest research on cardiac cachexia.

Alzheimer's Disease: Animal Models

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease which can be studied using various experimental systems. This feed focuses on animal models used for Alzheimer's disease research.

Barrel cortex

Here is the latest research on barrel cortex, a region of somatosensory and motor corticies in the brain, which are used by animals that rely on whiskers for world exploration.

Alzheimer's Disease: Transcription

Impaired transcription is associated with the pathogenesis and progression of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here are the latest discoveries pertaining to transcription and AD.

Basal Ganglia

Basal Ganglia are a group of subcortical nuclei in the brain associated with control of voluntary motor movements, procedural and habit learning, emotion, and cognition. Here is the latest research.

Epidemiology of Aging

This feed focuses on epidemiology of aging and aging-related conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and age-associated cognitive impairment. Here is the latest research.

Cancer Epigenetics & Metabolism (Keystone)

Epigenetic changes are present and dysregulated in many cancers, including DNA methylation, non-coding RNA segments and post-translational protein modifications. The epigenetic changes may or may not provide advantages for the cancer cells. This feed focuses on the relationship between cell metabolism, epigenetics and tumor differentiation.