Huntington's Disease Research Paper

Some possible signs will be passive aggressive mood swings, bad memory, weak concentration, balance, and hindered judgement. A particularly prominent trend that has been proven about any HD symptom is that the earlier it appears, the faster the disease's progression becomes (MedicineNet). Furthermore, any sign of HD, such as change in hand writing and involuntary movements, also known as chorea, will worsen over time. It has also been proven that any symptom is usually evident when somebody is middle aged. Chances for the disease to appear after the age of 55 or at a juvenile age, under 20, are rather slim. However, there are still signs to be aware of for those at a juvenile age, such as an educational decline or small motor dysfunctions. Unfortunately, young individuals with HD are in a much more fatal state because the disease will most likely inherit with seizures or a mental disability. Therefore, there is a high risk of death within 10 years of diagnosis. For a middle aged individual, death is possible after 10 to 30 years. Since there are such lethal expectations, doctors use numerous labs to discover if somebody has the disease by reviewing family history, emotions, hearing and eye coordination, strength, balance, sensory and reflexes, and even mental status (Huntington's Disease Drug Works). It is

Huntington Disease is a progressive brain disorder which causes uncontrolled movements, loss of thinking ability, and emotional problems. There are two types of Huntington Disease, Adult-onset and Juvenile. Adult-onset is the most common form of Huntington Disease and those diagnosed live about fifteen to twenty years after beginning symptoms. The early signs and symptoms include depression, small involuntary movements, irritability, poor coordination, difficulty in making decisions, and difficulty retaining new information. As it progresses, the involuntary movements become more pronounced causing issue with walking, speaking, thinking, reasoning abilities, and personality changes (1).

Huntington’s disease is a hereditary disorder that affects a person’s nervous system and kills brain cells. It is caused by a defective gene on chromosome four, which is one of the chromosomes that holds our genetic code. This disease has been known to cause problems with the body’s abilities to produce energy from nutrients taken in from the body. Patients that have more advanced stages of Huntington’s Disease commonly experience increased weight loss.

A general lack of coordination and an unsteady gait often follow. As the disease advances, uncoordinated, jerky body movements become more apparent, along with metal deteriorations and behavioral symptoms (Hammond and Tatum 2010). Health and physical abilities are also affected gradually. Mental deterioration results dementia. Life expectancy decreases approx. 20 years with appearance of symptoms due to different complications

In the United States, approximately 30,000 Americans have Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease, also known as Huntington’s chorea, is an autosomal dominant disorder that causes selected neural cell death. With this disease comes concerns regarding what the disease is, its history, and it symptoms. In addition to those components, its stages, diagnoses, and treatments are of great importance as well.

Huntington disease is a destructive brain disorder for which there are currently no cure. Some medications have been proven to ease symptoms of the disease including Tetrabenazine which is a medication which helps conceal the uncontrollable jerking and writhing movements. The most promising approach to curing Huntington disease is developing drugs that would tell our cells to make less of the damaging Huntington protein. Scientist are on the verge of using gene therapy to correct the mistakes in our DNA causing Huntington disease.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare and fatal disease known as a polyglutamine neurodegenerative disorder effecting only 4-10 per 100,000 people of European decent (Driver-Dunckly et. Al 2007). This means there is a problem with the trinucleotide that codes for glutamine, cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG). In the case of HD there is an extreme overproduction of the CAG repeats in the protein huntingtin. Accumulation of this mutated form of the protein in neurons causes cell atrophy which in turn causes the brain to malfunction. The disease was first described by Dr. George Huntington in 1872, however it wasn’t until 1993 that the cause of the disease was actually discovered (Bertram et. Al 2005).HD is characterized by symptoms effecting the afflicted

The topic that will be discussed and introduce is the neural disease knowns as Huntington’s Disease. The topic of Huntington’s Disease will be discussed about to get a much broader knowledge on the neural disease consist of ten pages. The first page will discuss the background and the history of Huntington’s Disease. What year was the neural disease founded and whom first discovered. The second page will discuss the biochemical basis of Huntington’s Disease and how it’s developed and what type of mutation happens for the disease to become onset or late offset. The third page will discuss the symptoms of Huntington’s Disease and when the disease symptoms develop and whether if it happens in youths or elderly. And what is the range of symptoms

Huntington’s disease, or Huntington’s chorea, is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle proficiency and proceeds to psychological decline and behavioral symptoms (Huntington’s Society, 2013). Symptoms are similar to what is seen with Parkinson’s disease, nevertheless they vary between different individuals and its progression is almost always foreseeable. Those who are suffering from Huntington’s often see symptoms anywhere between the ages of 30-50, however it has been seen in individuals as young as two and as old as 70( Huntington’s Society, 2013). Along with the progression of the disease the severity of the symptoms increase and can be separated into three different stages. In the first stage there are usually slight uncontrolled muscle movements, lack of concentration and mood changes. As the severity worsens they may need assistance proceeding with everyday activities such as walking talking and even swallowing. Irregular jerking movements of the limbs are more consistent and more noticeable to others. In

There are many signs and symptoms of Huntington’s Disease, and as the disease progresses they will ultimately become worse. The signs may initially appear as subtle symptoms, such as an irritable mood, difficulty thinking through a problem, involuntary movements, and a small change in coordination. As the disease progresses, patients may experience difficulty swallowing and even choking, diminishing speech that leads to being unable to speak, much more pronounced involuntary movements

In the early stages of the disease you will notice little or no expression, or your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech will become soft of slurred. Those are just what some people may notice others may have unnoticed signs and for others it may be worse. Signs and symptoms may include: tremors, slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements, speech changes, and writing changes.

Huntington’s disease can be treated with medications in order to manage the symptoms and make life easier for these patients.

Cerebellum – lack of coordination, double vision or blurred vision, unsteadiness or problems with speech.

That is; a tissue loss in the caudate/putamen area, but is ancillary to dopamine distribution of nerves from neurons coming from the substantia nigra-pc. Huntington’s disease (HD) is an uncommon genetic disorder that at first appears as restlessness and fidgeting. Cognitive and psychological changes may lead to the individual being misdiagnosed as mental illness. As the disease progresses, choreform movements become apparent to the point where typical movements such as talking and walking, become affected. Loss of tissue in several areas of the cortex is involved which speak to the cognitive and psychological changes that are more conspicuous.

Huntington’s disease is hereditary disorder that is transient as an autosomal dominant gene that occurs at conception per Ignatavicius (2015) pg. 881. In this disease, gamma aminobutyric acid neurotransmitters are destroyed and replaced with glial cells, causing an influx of dopamine. An increase in glutamate also occurs which causes un controllable jerky, rapid movements of the hands, limbs, and face. HD is diagnosed through genetic testing, and signs and symptoms such as choreiform movements and mental status changes leading to dementia per Ignatavicius (2015) pg. 881. Huntington disease consists of three stages; the first stage being the onset of neurologic or psychological symptoms, secondly the increased dependence for care, and finally