Certain aspects of Huntington’s disease (HD), such as the biologic mechanisms of depression, are not consistently replicated in mouse models of the disorder, which may hinder therapy development, a study reports. The study, “Increased Serotonin Transporter Expression in Huntington’s Disease Patients Is Not Consistently Replicated in Murine Models,”…
Every family, regardless of religion or background, has at least one time of year that is special to them. A time when they get together and celebrate, repeating rituals that have been passed down through the generations. For my family, that time is…
I was an emotional mess when I first met Jeff Carroll at a Huntington’s disease conference. My recent gene-positive diagnosis was on my mind. I couldn’t talk about it without crying, and I believed that I would never be happy again. My husband and I were…
Abnormal development of neural tissues may precede neurodegeneration in early-onset juvenile forms of Huntington’s disease, a recent study has found. Researchers also showed how targeting the cellular pathway involved in this process might be an effective strategy to restore normal neural development. Their study, “Expanded huntingtin CAG…
My wife is extremely low maintenance. For instance, she’s allergic to chocolate and flowers, so she doesn’t want either for Valentine’s Day. Even if she weren’t allergic, she still wouldn’t want them because she believes Valentine’s Day is a manufactured holiday. So we essentially don’t acknowledge it. (However,…
A small RNA molecule known as microRNA-1, found in both worm and human cells, can promote the removal of toxic protein aggregates — hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases — by triggering a self-cleaning process called autophagy, a study shows. These findings may open new avenues for potential therapeutics for disorders such…
For this column, I interviewed my best friend about her thoughts on Huntington’s. Here are my questions and her answers: During your freshman year, you had a lecture on Huntington’s. Do you remember your thoughts about it at that time? I was taking an introductory biology class, and we were…
Joining a “co-produced” walking group can be beneficial for people with Huntington’s disease, increasing their confidence, strength, and ability to walk, a study found. However, further research is needed to find ways to motivate Huntington’s patients to join such programs — and to keep the groups going, the investigators…
With so much recent publicity surrounding gene therapy, it’s no surprise that the topic was a major focus of the recent 2019 NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit. From diagnosis and clinical trial design to manufacturing, pricing strategies, and ethical concerns, gene therapy — both its high…
An inability to correctly identify face-like objects and fewer brain signals associated with facial recognition were found in people with Huntington’s disease who had yet to show symptoms, suggesting these tests can be a marker of early disease progression, a study reports. …
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