Behavioural and molecular consequences of chronic cannabinoid treatment in Huntington's disease transgenic mice

Abstract

Early loss of CB1 receptors is a hallmark of human Huntington's disease. Data from rodent studies suggest that preservation and activation of CB1 receptors may be protective against disease progression. R6/1 transgenic mice are considered to be a model of early pathogenic changes in Huntington's disease. We have shown previously that levels of CB1 in R6/1 mice prior to the onset of motor symptoms (12 weeks of age) remain high enough to justify commencement of cannabinoid drug treatment. Eight weeks of daily treatment with the cannabinoid agonists HU210 (0.01 mg/kg) and δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, 10.00 mg/kg), or the inhibitor of endocannabinoid metabolism URB597 (0.30 mg/kg), did not alte..