A Genetic Lottery
— Rebecca Field

A protein called Nrf2 can help maintain healthy levels of proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease, thereby protecting neurons from death, according to new research. Results of the study, “Nrf2 Mitigates LRRK2- And α-synuclein–induced Neurodegeneration By Modulating Proteostasis,” were published in the journal PNAS. Neurodegenerative disorders…

Patients with Huntington’s disease may not be receiving enough of the healthcare services they need to improve their quality of life, according to a study in Norway. The research, “Health-related Quality Of Life And Unmet Healthcare Needs In Huntington’s Disease,” was published in the journal Health and Quality…

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently launched an initiative intended to better equip scientists working to treat rare and orphan diseases, such as Huntington’s disease. The UNC Catalyst initiative, funded with a $2 million grant from the Eshelman Institute for Innovation, will provide patient groups and disease organizations…

Physical activity improves cognitive and day-to-day functioning, and possibly motor function, in patients in the early stages of Huntington’s disease, a study shows. The research, “Is There an Association of Physical Activity with Brain Volume, Behavior, and Day-to-day Functioning? A Cross Sectional Design in Prodromal and Early Huntington Disease,”…

Researchers are using light in a laboratory to study how proteins assemble in cells, an approach that could lead to treatments of neurological disorders such as Huntington’s disease. The approach is based on the fact that the clumping together of proteins often leads to neurological disorders. Clifford Brangwynne led the Princeton…

Scientists have developed a laboratory tool that allows them to follow the activity of astrocytes — important brain cells that may contribute to the pathology of several diseases, including Huntington’s disease (HD). The development might help scientists better understand how the cells work and establish new therapies for a…

The ability to apply reversal learning, which involves adapting behavior according to changes in stimulus-reward situations, appears to be diminished in patients with Huntington’s disease and to worsen as the disease progresses, according to new research. This study, “Reversal Learning Reveals Cognitive Deficits And Altered Prediction Error Encoding In The Ventral Striatum…

Taking high doses of co-enzyme Q10 in the early stages of Huntington’s disease does not delay its progression, according to a clinical trial. The study, “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Coenzyme Q10 In Huntington Disease,” was published in the journal Neurology. Huntington’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder stemming…

Researchers may finally have tracked down an explanation for expansions of three-letter DNA sequences that disrupt genes, and lead to Huntington’s disease and numerous other neuromuscular and neurodegenerative conditions. The study, “The role of break-induced replication in large-scale expansions of (CAG)n/(CTG)n repeats,” published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular…

Huntington’s disease patients’ inability to recognize people’s emotions from their facial expressions appears to be linked to dysfunction in more than one area of the brain, according to a study. The brain areas include “emotion–related regions, such as front-striatal networks and limbic areas, and regions associated with visual processing,” according…

Researchers have developed a new way to deliver therapies to areas of the brain they have been unable to reach due to the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain from microorganisms. The technique may lead to new treatments of neurological disorders, including Huntington’s disease, according to the research. The study,…

Researchers have identified a molecular mechanism in stem cells that may delay the onset of aging-related diseases associated with the production of abnormal proteins, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications. This finding may help design new therapeutic tools to treat diseases characterized by poorly regulated…