Hatingtan disease-Part II

Scientists have joined forces in the search for a new method of treatment of disease naHantingtan. In mid-November, the medical company Neuralstem announced that it will collaborate with the team of Professor. University of Guido Nikko "Albert-Ludwig", Freiburg, Germany in developing methods for the treatment of nerve stem cells. The news was reflected in the pages of Stem Cell Research News.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and lead to cognitive decline and psychiatric problems. This usually becomes noticeable in the middle adulthood. HD is the most common genetic cause of abnormal involuntary curves called chorea, which is the cause of the disease is called Huntington's chorea.

It is much more common in people of Western European descent than those of Asian or African ancestry. The disease is caused by an autosomal dominant mutation in one of two individual copies of a gene called Huntingtin, which means any child of the person usually has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. Physical symptoms of Huntington's disease can begin at any age from infancy to old age, but usually begin between 35 and 44 years of age. Through genetic anticipation, the disease may develop earlier in life in each successive generation. About 6% of cases start before the age of 21 years with akinetic-rigid syndrome, they progress faster and vary slightly. Variant is classified as juvenile, akinetic rigid or Westphal variant HD.

Huntingtin gene provides the genetic information for the protein, which is also called "huntingtin". Expansion of the CAG triplet repeat region in the Huntingtin gene in a variety of (mutant) form of the protein, which gradually damages the cells in the brain, by mechanisms that are not fully understood. The genetic basis of HD was discovered in 1993 by an international collaborative effort led by hereditary disease foundation.