Columns

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…

Cambridge, England-based light therapy specialist Lumie will supply 24 of its most powerful light boxes, called Lumie Brazil, for use in a Huntington’s disease research study at the Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine’s Neurology Unit. The Lumies are being donated to…

Huntington’s disease (HD) patients are known to have a dysregulation of cholesterol metabolism. Now, researchers have shown that manipulation of cholesterol levels in striatal neurons can improve motor deficits in an animal model of Huntington’s. The study, “CYP46A1, the rate-limiting enzyme for cholesterol degradation, is neuroprotective in Huntington’s…

A Huntington’s researcher at the University of Toronto — Rachel Harding — will be the first biomedical scientist known to share documentation of her experiments in real-time. She is also inviting the public to scrutinize her work through her blog, another move that she hopes will accelerate research into Huntington’s disease. “This…

Researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, led by Dr. Matteo Cornaglia, PhD, have developed a new experimental device that can assist scientists in the analysis of molecular pathway studies related to complex human dysfunctions, such as neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s (HD). The device is intended for use with the…

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…