Paraventricular nucleus neuropeptide expression in Huntington's disease patients.

ABSTRACT: Neuroendocrine, metabolic and autonomic nervous system dysfunctions are prevalent among patients with Huntington's disease (HD) and may underlie symptoms such as depression, weight loss and autonomic failure. Using post-mortem paraffin-embedded tissue, we assessed the integrity of the major neuropeptide populations in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN)-the hypothalamic neuroendocrine and autonomic integration center-in HD patients. The number corticotropin-releasing hormone, cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript, arginine vasopressin and oxytocin immunoreactive (ir) neurons did not differ between HD patients and control subjects. However, the significant positive correlation between arginine vasopressin and oxytocin ir neurons in control subjects (P = 0.036) was absent in patients.

SUBMITTER: van Wamelen DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8057638 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature