Mutations associated with Huntington’s disease increase nerve cells’ resistance to high levels of manganese, according to a recent study. The results of the study, “Huntington’s disease associated resistance to Mn neurotoxicity is neurodevelopmental stage and neuronal lineage dependent,” were published in NeuroToxicology. Manganese (Mn) is…
As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, my mother received her Huntington’s diagnosis almost a year ago. My parents waited to tell me until I arrived home for winter break from school because they didn’t want the news to affect the end of my semester. I…
A combined data analysis of five studies examining the effects of short-term exercise interventions in Huntington’s disease (HD) did not find any evidence of statistically significant motor improvements. The investigators suggest more supervised trials of longer duration and with common outcomes are necessary in order to evaluate the…
Some things that my wife, Jill, handles — such as paying the cable bill, for example — are tasks that I need to know how to do. Huntington’s disease eventually will affect her neurologically, but not for some time. It’s not ideal, but at least we have time to…
Levels of certain trace metals are altered in the blood of people with Huntington’s disease, a new study found, suggesting that measuring and/or targeting these metals may be useful for studying, or perhaps treating, Huntington’s. The results, “Trace elements profile in the blood of Huntington’ disease patients,”…
I’m a logical person. I tend to look at the numbers and make a rational assessment of a situation. But I also want to be happily surprised rather than disappointed, so I expect the worst to be true. I describe it as being a realist…
Increasing the levels of a natural enzyme called nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase — or Nmnat — halts the formation of mutant huntingtin (Htt) protein aggregates that build up in nerves cells in Huntington’s disease, a fruit fly study shows. “We discovered the neuroprotective role of a cellular ‘housekeeping’…
My wife and I are fortunate to have health insurance, which pays for some of our medical bills, but not all of them. My eyes glaze over when I hear words like deductibles and copays. I don’t understand insurance, and I don’t really want to. Jill has always taken care…
Different types of apathy — a common psychiatric symptom of Huntington’s disease — are associated with specific alterations in the brain’s white matter in patients at different stages of the disease, a study finds. White matter refers to regions of the brain made up of myelinated…
I am amazed at the differences in the ways our brains work and the variations that exist in our thought processes. My roommate and I were discussing this subject, and she told me that she thinks in pictures. My thoughts, on the other hand, manifest as words.
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