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Updated: May 28, 2026

Real-time Imaging of Axonal Transport of Quantum Dot-labeled BDNF in Primary Neurons
Published on: September 15, 2014
Conditional BDNF release under pathological conditions improves Huntington's disease pathology by delaying neuronal
Albert Giralt1, Olga Carretón, Cristina Lao-Peregrin
1Departament de Biologia Cel•lular, Immunologia i Neurociències, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. alberch@ub.edu.
Conditional Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) delivery using the GFAP promoter shows promise for Huntington
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder.
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a potential neuroprotective therapy for HD.
- Conditional administration of BDNF presents a significant challenge in HD therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the therapeutic potential of conditional BDNF overexpression in HD.
- To assess if astrogliosis-dependent BDNF up-regulation is protective in HD models.
- To evaluate the impact of conditional BDNF on motor function, anxiety, and synaptic plasticity in HD mice.
Main Methods:
- Generation of double-mutant mice (R6/2:pGFAP-BDNF) with mutant huntingtin and conditional BDNF overexpression.
- Assessment of striatal BDNF levels, motor coordination, anxiety behaviors, and clasping.
- Analysis of cortico-striatal synaptic markers (VGLUT1, PSD-95) and electrophysiological studies.
Main Results:
- Conditional BDNF overexpression prevented the decrease in striatal BDNF levels in HD mice.
- R6/2:pGFAP-BDNF mice showed improved motor coordination and delayed anxiety/clasping.
- Synaptic markers and function (basal transmission, synaptic fatigue) were preserved in double-mutant mice.
Conclusions:
- Conditional BDNF administration via the GFAP promoter is a viable therapeutic strategy for HD.
- This approach positively impacts synaptic plasticity and neuroprotection in HD models.
- GFAP-driven BDNF delivery offers a promising avenue for HD treatment.
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