Striatal ganglioside levels in the rat following kainic acid lesions: comparison with Huntington's disease.

Ganglioside and DNA levels were estimated in the striatum of rats 10 days and 6 weeks after lesioning by intrastriatal injection of kainic acid. There was a moderate, 21-24% decrease of the ganglioside concentration per unit protein on the side of the lesion, which can be ascribed to the loss of the intrinsic striatal neurons following the injection of kainic acid. On the other hand, there was a 131 and 60% increase of DNA per unit protein in the kainate injected side 10 days and 6 weeks after the lesions, respectively; these changes apparently reflected the gliotic reaction brought about by the neurotoxin. Qualitatively similar findings--a decrease of ganglioside and an increase of DNA levels per unit protein--were also found in the brain of patients with Huntington's disease; however, as compared with the corresponding control material, the decrease of the ganglioside concentration was more pronounced in the striatum of Huntington's disease (by 38% in the caudate nucleus and by 46% in the putamen) than in the kainate lesioned rat striatum. This difference could be due to the different proportions of the intrinsic and extrinsic neuronal plasma membranes in the striatum of the two species; however, the possibility of a more generalized affection of neuronal plasma membranes in Huntington's disease may also be envisaged.