News

Swallowing difficulties start in the early stages of Huntington’s disease (HD) and progress over time, affecting both voluntary movements in the mouth and involuntary movements that transport food to the stomach while protecting the airway, a study showed. Researchers used the Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire (SDQ) to assess swallowing problems,…

An investigational treatment prepared from stem cells found in young teeth appears to be safe and to help adults with Huntington’s disease move better and carry out daily tasks more easily, perhaps by slowing damage to the brain, according to data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Called…

A postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan won a three-year grant to support her work investigating the cellular mechanisms underlying Huntington’s disease. The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) awarded its Berman-Topper Family HD Career Development Fellowship to Elizabeth Tidwell, PhD, whose project, “Determining the structure…

Neurodegeneration of the pathways that help relay information from the cerebellum — a brain area involved in motor and cognitive functions — is associated with worsening motor and cognitive symptoms in people with Huntington’s disease, a study reported. Tracking changes in these pathways, or tracts, may help researchers follow…

Both DNA repair and non-repair genes influence how and when Huntington’s disease develops, according to a study based on genetic data from more than 16,000 people with the disorder that also provides new potential targets for treatment. In addition, these findings reveal complex mechanisms behind CAG repeat expansions, the…

A committee of the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) has recommended that the experimental oral medication pridopidine not be approved for adults with Huntington’s disease. The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommendation will be reviewed by the European Commission, which has final say over therapy…

Early molecular changes in Huntington’s disease appear to be largely due to the loss of normal huntingtin protein function, not just the harmful effects of its mutated form, a new study reports. The scientists found that during nerve cell development, cells without huntingtin showed similar molecular-level disruptions as those…

Children of people with Huntington’s disease are subject to more childhood trauma than their peers, contributing to increased psychological distress during adulthood, a new study reports. The researchers noted that while the symptoms of Huntington’s can manifest at any time of life, “their onset is usually around [the] age…

Daily treatment with Ingrezza (valbenazine) led to reductions in motor- and cognitive-related disease burden for adults with chorea due to Huntington’s disease, according to new data analyses from the Phase 3 KINECT-HD clinical trial. These changes were assessed with a relatively new patient-reported measure, called the Huntington’s Disease…

Participating in dance classes may help people with Huntington’s disease improve their balance and maintain their functional capacity, according to the results of a small U.S. pilot study in which patient mobility was assessed before and after an intervention program. The researchers shared the results in a talk titled…