Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Patients with Huntington's Disease

Reduced Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels have been described in a number of patho-physiological conditions, most notably, in Huntington's disease (HD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Since BDNF is also produced in blood, we have undertaken the measurement of its peripheral levels in the attempt to identify a possible link with HD prognosis and/or its progression. Here we evaluated BDNF level in 398 blood samples including 138 controls, 56 preHD, and 204 HD subjects. We found that BDNF protein levels were not reliably different between groups, whether measured in plasma (52 controls, 26 preHD, 105 HD) or serum (39 controls, 5 preHD, 29 HD). Our experience, and a reanalysis of the literature highlighted that intra-group variability and methodological aspects affect this measurement, especially in serum. We also assessed BDNF mRNA levels in blood samples from 47 controls, 25 preHD, and 70 HD subjects, and found no differences among the groups. We concluded that levels of BDNF in human blood were not informative (mRNA levels or plasma protein level) nor reliable (serum protein levels) as HD biomarkers. We also wish to warn the scientific community in interpreting the significance of changes measured in BDNF protein levels in serum from patients suffering from different conditions

Adenosine A2A receptors modulate BDNF both in normal conditions and in experimental models of Huntington’s disease

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family, enhances synaptic transmission and regulates neuronal proliferation and survival. Functional interactions between adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) and BDNF have been recently reported. In this article, we report some recent findings from our group showing that A2ARs regulate both BDNF functions and levels in the brain. Whereas BDNF (10 ng/ml) increased the slope of excitatory postsynaptic field potentials (fEPSPs) in hippocampal slices from wild-type (WT) mice, it was completely ineffective in slices taken from A2AR knock-out (KO) mice. Furthermore, enzyme immunoassay studies showed a significant reduction in hippocampal BDNF levels in A2AR KO vs. WT mice. Having found an even marked reduction in the striatum of A2AR KO mice, and as both BDNF and A2ARs have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease (HD), an inherited striatal neurodegenerative disease, we then evaluated whether the pharmacological blockade of A2ARs could influence striatal levels of BDNF in an experimental model of HD-like striatal degeneration (quinolinic acid-lesioned rats) and in a transgenic mice model of HD (R6/2 mice). In both QA-lesioned rats and early symptomatic R6/2 mice (8 weeks), the systemic administration of the A2AR antagonist SCH58261 significantly reduced striatal BDNF levels. These results indicate that the presence and the tonic activation of A2ARs are necessary to allow BDNF-induced potentiation of synaptic transmission and to sustain a normal BDNF tone. The possible functional consequences of reducing striatal BDNF levels in HD models need further investigation

Regional redistributive effects of common price support policies

The policy of price support sustained by import levies and export subsidies leads to a transfer of income from consumers to agricultural producers. This intersectoral transfer has a regional impact insofar as the amounts going to consumers and producers vary from region to region. As a result, income flows are created which pass from regions which are net consumers, to those which are net producers. Graphs are used to show the redistributive effects arising from price support on regions within a customs union, taking possible effects on world market prices into account. A way of estimating interregional income transfers is proposed which seems to reflect the impact of the policy instruments used by CAP more realistically than under the 'small country assumption'. Finally, an example is presented of the estimation of income redistribution between regions in Italy as a result of the olive oil price support. 1

EC enlargement and Trade Liberalization in the Vegetable Oils Market

The third EC enlargement to include Spain and Portugal raised substantial problems in the international olive oil market, where the Ec-10 accounted for 48% of the production and 52% of the consumption and the new EC members for 30% and 24% respectively. Olive oil was highly supported in the Ec-10 where producer prices were more than twice the international prices. Extending (from 1986 to 1991) the EC-10 price support to Spanish and Portuguese producers would have meant huge EC-12 budgetary costs and a complete price collapse in the tiny world market