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…

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’…

Genistein, a potent stimulator of cells’ natural “cleaning system” was able to reduce the levels of mutant huntingtin protein in skin cells from Huntington’s disease patients, a study has found. The study, “Genistein induces degradation of mutant huntingtin in fibroblasts from Huntington’s disease patients,” was published in…

Several small molecules have been identified by the Alborada Drug Discovery Institute as potential inhibitors to help halt the underlying mechanisms that drive the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease. Silencing phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate 4 (PI5P4) kinases has been shown to enhance the natural cleaning system of cells, called autophagy,…

Researchers have found a direct link between abnormal protein accumulation in nerve cells — a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s — and the regulation of gene activity in Huntington’s disease. According to researchers, both processes are influenced by autophagy, a mechanism used by cells to break…

Defects in cells’ “cleaning system,” known as autophagy, may underlie nerve cell degeneration in early stages of Huntington’s disease, according to a recent study. Treatments to improve this process in affected nerve cells could be a promising therapy for Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The study,…

Blocking an enzyme called PIP4Ky has the ability to reduce levels of mutant huntingtin protein and clear toxic aggregates of the protein, suggesting a potentially effective therapeutic strategy against Huntington’s disease, according to a study. The study, “Inhibition of PIP4Kγ ameliorates the pathological effects of mutant huntingtin…

Following a strict diet schedule helped clear away the protein responsible for Huntington’s disease in mice, according to researchers in Canada. The study, “Preventing mutant huntingtin proteolysis and intermittent fasting promote autophagy in models of Huntington disease,” was published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications. The buildup of mutant huntingtin…

Blocking specific glutamate receptors was seen to improve cellular, motor, and cognitive skills in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease. The study, “mGluR5 antagonism increases autophagy and prevents disease progression in the zQ175 mouse model of Huntington’s disease,” appeared in the journal Science Signaling. Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter…

BRACE, a U.K. charity supporting dementia research, awarded more than £58,500 ($72,631) to a team of scientists investigating how a faulty “recycling” mechanism in neurons contributes to the onset of neurological diseases such as Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s. The winning team at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry (PUPSMD)…