Paraventricular nucleus neuropeptide expression in Huntington's disease patients.

摘要: Neuroendocrine, metabolic and autonomic nervous system dysfunctions are prevalent among patients with Huntington's disease (HD) may underlie symptoms such as depression, weight loss failure. Using post-mortem paraffin-embedded tissue, we assessed the integrity of major neuropeptide populations in paraventricular nucleus (PVN)-the hypothalamic neuroendocrine integration center-in HD patients. The number corticotropin-releasing hormone, cocaine- amphetamine-regulated transcript, arginine vasopressin oxytocin immunoreactive (ir) neurons did not differ between control subjects. However, significant positive correlation ir subjects (P = 0.036) was absent Corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA levels were 68% higher 0.046). Thyrotropin-releasing subjects, although a negative duration present former 0.036). These findings indicate that PVN is largely unaffected our suggest hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis activity alter during course dysfunction might partly arise from an imbalance PVN.