Metabolic alterations in an animal model of Huntington's disease using the 14C-deoxyglucose method

Various brain regions showing altered glucose uptake in an animal model of Huntington's disease (HD) were identified by the 14C-2-deoxyglucose (DG) autoradiographic technique. Rats with kainic acid (KA) lesions of the neostriatum were used as an animal model of HD. KA-injected animals showed reduced utilization of DG in the injected neostriatum as well as in the ipsilateral rostral sulcal cortex, dentate fascia of hippocampus, ventromedial nucleus of the thalamus and cortico-bulbar tract. By contrast, enhanced uptake was found in the ipsilateral globus pallidus, entopeduncular nucleus, the area lateral to the lateral hypothalamus, the lateral habenular nucleus and pars reticulata of the substantia nigra. The results provide interesting in vivo metabolic and functional information on brain circuits involved in motor performance.