Neuroinflammation and serotonergic change in HD gene carriers
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The role of neuroinflammation and serotonergic changes in depression and irritability in presymptomatic Huntington’s Disease gene carriers
IRAS ID
117564
Contact name
Alex Gerhard
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Research summary
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited, progressive degenerative disorder of the brain. It is characterized by involuntary movements (chorea), psychiatric and cognitive problems.
The diagnosis in HD is defined by the onset of the characteristic motor symptoms. Individuals who have been found to carry the faulty HD gene, but are not affected with HD yet are called presymptomatic gene carriers. Nevertheless, signs and symptoms such as depression and anxiety irritability and apathy can be present even years before the onset of any motor symptoms. The underlying cause for these psychiatric changes in HD is not well understood. There is the possibility that an imbalance of a certain brain chemical (serotonin) is responsible for the mood problems. There is also increasing evidence that depression might be associated with inflammatory changes in the brain.
We can image inflammatory changes in the brain with a technique called positron emission tomography (PET). These changes might even be present in patients who are still in the presymptomatic stage of the disease (this means there are clinically still unaffected and appear healthy).
In our study we will use brain imaging techniques (PET and MRI, which gives a structural image of the brain) to show the early inflammatory changes as well as the concentration of the brain chemicals responsible for depression.
We will also do a detailed clinical and psychological assessments of the participants in order to correlate clinical changes with the changes we see on brain imaging. Ultimately we hope to learn with our study more about the very early changes in Huntington’s disease and this will hopefully enable us to develop better therapies.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0730
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion