Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Scientists at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University have shown that transgenic monkeys for Huntington’s disease exhibit early emergent symptoms, like humans with the disease, which bolsters the idea that monkeys could be effective animal models for developing therapies. The study, “Increased irritability, anxiety, and immune reactivity in transgenic Huntington’s disease monkeys,”…

A recent study published in the journal Neuron by University of California at Irvine researchers revealed that the protein PIAS1 regulates the accumulation of a mutant protein in Huntington’s disease, and its expression associates with disease pathogenesis in a mouse model of the disease. The study, “PIAS1 Regulates Mutant Huntingtin Accumulation…

Neuropsychiatric symptoms of depression and irritability or aggression are associated with alterations in the white matter structure of the brains of early-onset Huntington’s disease (HD) patients. These are the results of a recent study titled “Neuropsychiatry and White Matter Microstructure in Huntington’s Disease,” published in the…

A study with a small cohort of Huntington’s disease patients differed from previous research in finding no metabolic alterations associated with disease progression in stage 2/3 patients compared to both premanifest and healthy subjects. The study, titled “A Metabolic Study of Huntington’s Disease,” was published in the PLOS One journal.

In a new study entitled “Spatial mapping of juxtacrine axo-glial interactions identifies novel molecules in peripheral myelination” a team of scientists reports a new method for capturing and understanding the molecular mechanisms behind brain cellular interactions, a key event for a healthy and fully functional brain which may…

In a new study entitled “Delayed identification and diagnosis of Huntington’s disease due to psychiatric symptoms” researchers present a case study of a female patient with 58 years old diagnosed with Huntington’s disease as a consequence of psychiatric symptoms prior to motor symptoms. The study was published in the International…

In a new study entitled “Allosteric interactions between agonists and antagonists within the adenosine A2A receptor-dopamine D2 receptor heterotetramer” researchers determined the structure of a key receptor underlying neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, and showed how current drugs targeting these receptors and used to treat Parkinson’s can…

In a new study entitled “Low-Dose Irradiation Enhances Gene Targeting in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells” researchers showed that providing low-dose radiation to human pluripotent stem cells can enhance gene-editing, allowing a faster and less expensive throughput of edited cells to understand and find the cure for several diseases…

In a new study entitled “Mutation in MRPS34 Compromises Protein Synthesis and Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction,” researchers discovered a mutation in a mitochondrial ribosome that induces mitochondria dysfunction leading to heart hypertrophy and liver steatosis in mice. The study was published in the journal PLOS…

In a new study entitled “Pathogenic mitochondrial mt-tRNAAla variants are uniquely associated with isolated myopathy,” authors report to have identified in two patients with isolated myopathy (a muscular disease characterized by deficient muscle fibers resulting in muscular weakness) two novel variants in the mitochondria DNA, specifically in…