Impaired basal and running-induced hippocampal neurogenesis coincides with reduced Akt signaling in adult R6/1 HD mice

Abstract

Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder affecting a range of cellular and molecular functions in the brain. Deficits in adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) have been documented in the R6/1 mouse model of HD. Here we examined basal and running-induced neuronal precursor proliferation in adult female and male R6/1 HD mice. We further tested whether sequential delivery of voluntary running followed by environmental enrichment could synergistically enhance functional AHN in female R6/1 HD mice. R6/1 HD mice engaged in significantly reduced levels of voluntary running, with males showing a more severe deficit. Basal neural precursor proliferation in the hippocampal sub-gr..