Resumen

The invention relates to a method for the in vitro diagnosis/prognosis of Huntington's chorea, based on an increase in the expression and/or activity of the P2X7 gene at neuronal level, to the use of P2X7 antagonists capable of penetrating the hematoencephalic barrier and to pharmaceutically acceptable vehicles for the production of pharmaceutical compositions and drugs intended for the treatment of Huntington's chorea. The invention also relates to a diagnostic kit comprising gene sequences capable of hybridising with sequences belonging to the P2X7 gene. The invention further relates to methods for detecting drugs and for identifying effective doses of inhibitors. Furthermore, the invention relates to neuroimaging methods and probes that can be used to view the above-mentioned increase in the activity of P2X7.