Work package 2: Characterize cognitive deficits and psychiatric symptoms in BACHD rats

The University of Tuebingen has a strong background on Huntington’s Disease and is renowned world-wide for its transgenic rat models of HD. Thus broad experience exists with phenotyping of transgenic HD rats, amongst other for psychiatric symptoms. Experiments for cognitive testing are still in the start-up phase. At QPS there is great expertise in cognitive testing of animal models, especially of mouse models of Alzheimer’s Disease. However, little experience exists with HD. Therefore, in collaboration with the University of Tuebingen new cognitive tests on striatal function will be developed in work package 2. Additionally, tests for psychiatric symptoms of BACHD rats will be implemented at QPS with help of the University of Tuebingen.