A Genetic Lottery - a Column by Becky Field

Researchers have developed a computational cognitive classification method that allows the differentiation of pre-symptomatic Huntington’s disease patients from early onset patients and healthy subjects, an approach that demonstrates promise for classification and prediction of brain disorders. The research paper, “A Computational Cognitive Biomarker for Early-Stage Huntington’s Disease,” was published…

The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in Jupiter, Florida a $1.7 million grant to analyze which mechanisms contribute to Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is an inherited disorder which results from a malformation in…

UCB and Baylor College of Medicine have announced a strategic research alliance to discover therapies for people with neurodegenerative conditions, such as Huntington’s disease (HD). The research effort will be conducted by Dr. Huda Zoghbi, professor of molecular and human genetics, pediatrics, neurology and neuroscience at Baylor College of…

Researchers have for the first time visualized the structure of the protein α-synuclein in healthy living cells, allowing a better understanding of why the protein forms aggregates in Huntington’s disease (HD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Despite α-synuclein being a known component of amyloid aggregates forming in the brains of HD, Parkinson’s and…

Two scientists at Cambridge University used differing techniques to better understand how brain cells form connections, research that may inspire new ways of rewiring the brain to repair nerves and treat diseases such as Huntington’s. Professor Christine Holt of the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, focused on how molecules influence neurons…

A research team successfully developed a virus variant that is more efficient than the current standard at crossing the blood-brain barrier and delivering genes to the central nervous system (CNS), making it a promising gene therapy approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease. The blood-brain barrier, made up of specialized…

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center researchers have identified a molecule that might have protective effects against neuronal damage caused by mutant huntingtin, and constitute a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of Huntington’s disease. The study, “Mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 protects against mutant huntingtin-induced abnormal mitochondrial dynamics, synaptic dysfunction…

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) researchers have identified a molecule — mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 (Mdivi1) — believed to hold promise as a potential treatment for Huntington’s disease. Mitochondria are specialized organelles in a cell responsible for creating the energy needed by the body to sustain life. An…

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.