Modeling Brain Reserve: Experience-Dependent Neuronal Plasticity in Healthy and Huntington's Disease Transgenic Mice

These results show that gross structural alterations are less likely to contribute to the cognitive, psychiatric, and motor symptoms in HD, and suggest that subtle molecular and functional changes may underlie HD symptomatology. Furthermore, the enrichment-induced effects on dendritic morphology may contribute to strengthening neuronal and synaptic connectivity, and provide a mechanism for how the brain may more efficiently use existing neuronal networks and recruit alternate networks when required. These findings not only have implications for HD, but the authors also propose that the concept of enrichment and cognitive reserve may be relevant to many brain disorders, including neurologic and psychiatric, where cognitive dysfunction is a part of symptomatology.