Metallic Dysfunction Across Huntington's Heart And Brain In Mice And Humans

Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant genetic disease that affects motor and cognitive function, affecting movement and memory as well as speech, emotional regulation, and sleep

Cardiovascular symptoms are common in Huntington’s disease, affecting ≥50% of individuals

Heart failure is the second most common recorded cause of death in Huntington’s

Very little research conducted into why this might be—this study aims to address this gap in knowledge

Brain Metals

HD brains (n=9) showed several statistically significant changes compared to controls (n=9), including localised increases in calcium and zinc, localised decreases in manganese, iron, and copper, widespread increases in the sodium:potassium ratio, and most strikingly, decreased selenium across all eleven investigated brain regions. HD plasma (n=30 vs 30) showed no significant case-control differences.

In contrast, the R6/2 mouse brain (8 R6/2 vs 8 WT) showed differing patterns of metallic dysfunction, including localised decreases in mangesium and copper, widespread decreases in zinc, widespread increases in manganese and iron, and interestingly, increased Se only in the cortex.

As in the human plasma, R6/2 mouse plasma (n=8 vs 8) showed no significant case-control differences.

Key Findings