Circulating Endocannabinoids in Huntington’s Disease: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: Journal of Huntington's disease Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 91 - 95
• Main Authors: Manzke, Pedro, Crippa, José Alexandre de Souza, Marchioni, Camila, Queiroz, Maria Eugênia Costa, Brito, Manuelina C.M., Pimentel, Angela V., Bosaipo, Nayanne B., Foss, Maria Paula, Tumas, Vitor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.01.2022; IOS Press BV
• Subjects: 2-Arachidonoylglycerol; Anandamide; Body mass index; Cannabinoids; Cognitive ability; Cross-Sectional Studies; Endocannabinoid system; Endocannabinoids; Heterozygote; Humans; Huntingtin; Huntington Disease; Huntington's disease; Huntingtons disease; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Plasma levels; 2-arachdonoyglycerol; clinical scales; Huntington’s disease; endocannabinoid system; anandamide; clinical features
• ISSN: 1879-6397; 1879-6397; 1879-6400
• DOI: 10.3233/JHD-210507

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive and behavioral deficits. Some evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system participates in the pathophysiology of HD. We conducted a cross-sectional study comparing plasma levels of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in manifest HD gene-expansion carriers (HDGEC) and healthy controls, finding no difference in endocannabinoid levels between the groups. Correlations between endocannabinoid levels and clinical scales (Mini-Mental State Examination, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale) were non-significant. We found a significant association between body mass index and anandamide levels in healthy controls but not in HDGEC.