Huntington's Disease Research Paper

Huntington's disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder. It is passed on to children from one or both parents (though two parents with Huntington's is extraordinarily rare) in an autosomal dominant manner. This is different from autosomal recessive disorder, which requires two altered genes (one from each parent) to inherit the disorder.

Huntington’s disease destroys the organs that carry the functions of the central nervous system. Kalat (2013) states, “Huntington disease (also known as Huntington disease or Huntington’s Chorea) is a severe neurological disorder that strikes about 1 person in 10,000 in the United States” (A.B. Young, 1995, p. 258).Individual’s develop the symptoms in their middle age, but even if it is a rare disorders juveniles as well as children before the age of ten can develop the disease. Huntington’s disease is hereditary disease that is passed on from a parent. Huntington’s disease is of the lack of the chromosome 4, if one of the parents carries the gene, they can pass that gene to their

At present, there is no cure for the disease, but dynamic progress has been made as researchers explore this illness. HD is inherited as an autosomal dominant condition. In March 1993, scientists realized that HD is caused by a mutation in a gene located on chromosome 4. This gene has a unique genetic sequence for CAG (cytosine-adenine-guanine) and codes for the amino acid glutamine, a building block for the huntingtin pr otein. Normal individuals have this sequence duplicated from 11 to 40 times in their genetic coding without having symptoms of HD. However, individuals with the disease have from 40 up to 100 repeated CAG segments. Juvenile Huntington's Disease occurs wit h 60 or more repeats, linking the longer chains of CAG sequences to earlier and more aggressive onset of the disease.

Everyone can relate to the pain of having to watch a grandparent or great-grandparent slowly loose their faculties as they advance into older age. Now, imagine if this seemingly slow digression hit hard and fast at only age thirty. The age where one is finally living alone and independent, with the beginnings of a successful career and the hopes of starting a family and settling down. Huntington’s Disease quickly takes all these dreams and ambitions away, along with control of ones body and mind. The symptoms of Huntington’s, such as involuntary muscle jerks or twitches, had been seen throughout history for many years before being first recognized as an inherited disease in 1872 by Dr. George Huntington (“Hope Through Research). “The hereditary

Huntington 's Disease (HD) is a progressive brain disorder caused by a defective gene. This disease causes changes in the central area of the brain, which affect movement, mood and thinking skills. Nerve cells become impaired, causing several segments of the brain to fail. The disease disturbs movement, behavior and perception the affected people abilities to walk, think, reason and talk are slowly weakened to a point that they eventually become entirely dependent on other people for care. HD is a disease that affects the brain in many different ways. One of the ways the HD affects the brain is that it causes the person who has it to become forgetful and moody. Huntington 's disease also causes a decline in thinking and reasoning skills, including memory, concentration, judgment and ability to plan and organize.

Huntington disease is defined by the autosomal pattern that is in inheritance with high penetrance of high proportion of the population that has the gene that advances the disease. It’s typical that Huntington disease is caused by the loss of neurons nerve cells in the brain (Van Walsem M.R, 2016).

Huntington’s Disease is a genetic disease that causes gradual brain deterioration in a wide range of ages. Early onset conditions can occur in an individual younger than twenty and some late onset conditions can develop as late as 80. Early symptoms are subtle, such as emotional changes, as time goes on symptoms worsen to memory loss and loss of cognitive functions, then there is complete loss of the body. In most cases, death occurs for related complications such as pneumonia, infections, falls, and inability to swallow within ten to twenty years of symptom appearance. If someone has Huntington’s Disease, there isn’t anything to prevent brain deterioration. Even If someone without symptoms is tested and predicted HD(Huntington's Disease),

Many of you may not know much about Huntington’s disease. After reading this paper and the subsequent ones to come, you surely will. According to PudMedHealth.com, “Huntington’s disease is a disorder passed down through families in which nerve cells in certain parts of the brain waste away or degenerate.” This can lead to many different complications to a person’s health. In most cases, the disease’s symptoms develop later in life during a person’s mid thirties-forties. There are also instances where the disease becomes on-set in children or during adolescence. The question that I am writing about is the disease itself ,and which symptoms affect you the worst. The reason I chose to write about this disease is because I have always been

An estimated three to seven out of every hundred thousand people of European ancestry are affected by Huntington Disease. People of Japanese, Chinese, and Asian descendant populations appear to have a less common rate of Huntington Disease(1).

Huntington’s disease affects 30,000 Americans and has 200,000 more Americans at risk to contract the disease. Huntington’s is now one of the most common brain disorders to be inherited. This paper will discuss and educate about the disease, pathology, signs and symptoms, etiology, prevalence, diagnostic studies, treatments, and the prognosis of Huntington’s disease.

Genetic diseases are conditions caused by abnormalities in the genetic material contained within our cells.

Huntington 's disease is a dynamic, neurological disorder. Tragically, it doesn 't demonstrate manifestations until people have reached they’re 30 's or more. 'Children whose parent 's have this genetic disorder have a 50-50 ' ( ) possibility of acquiring the trait.

For our gene and protein lab, my group decided and I to research the deadly, yet rare, disease, known as Huntington's disease. Huntington's disease is an extremely rare condition when your nerve cells in your brain break down overtime. Also, “HD” has a treatment that could aid someone, but it unfortunately cannot be cured. Huntington’s Disease typically begins when someone is thirty or forty years of age and can last years to a life time.

Huntington’s disease, or HD, is a genetic neuro-generative condition that is characterized by progressive dysfunction in motor, cognitive and behavioral abilities. There are about 4-10 cases per 100,000 throughout the world, which makes it one of the most prevalent genetic neuro-generative disorders. Huntington’s disease is a dominant gene mutation that occurs in the huntingtin gene. The result is an excessive repeat of the nucleotide triad cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) and causes damage to neurons. The striatum of the brain and the cerebral cortex are most affected by the gene but other parts of the brain atrophy as well. Typically, onset begins around the 4th decade of life although an early onset form can occur before the age of 20.

According to the University of Utah a genetic disorder is described as a disease that is caused by an abnormality in an individual’s DNA. This means that there is a mutation present in the gene. It could be an elimination mutation, addition mutation or even a change in an entire chromosome. In the Life Science class we were given a research project about genetic diseases which we were to carry out. I chose Huntington’s disease particularly because I had never heard of it and I found it highly beneficial to learn more about it. In this research project I have clearly outlined how I have carried out the entire project, I have provided information about Huntington’s disease, I have included literary reviews on the articles I read, and I have also provided information about the Huntington’s Association of South Africa (HASA).