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Abstract #1381

Right Ventricular Failure in the R6/2 Mouse Model of Huntingtons Disease Is Unmasked by Dobutamine

Guido Buonincontri1, Nigel I. Wood2, Simon Puttick2, Alexander O. Ward1, T. Adrian Carpenter1, Stephen J. Sawiak1, 3, A Jennifer Morton2

1Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 2Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 3Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom


Recent studies have demonstrated cardiac pathology in mouse models of Huntington's disease. Here we show that R6/2 mice have specific and progressive right ventricular failure. This phenotype is evident at an advanced state of the disease, but can be seen much earlier performing a dobutamine stress test. In particular, the presence of this pathology can be unmasked by dobutamine at 10 weeks of age, before the mice show any other transgenic phenotype.