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

The three most profound behavioral problems in Huntington 's disease come from the uncontrollable movements called "chorea," dementia, and the altered perception of the

The disease that I have chosen is Huntington’s disease. Australian Huntingtin’s Disease Association (NSW) says that five in one hundred thousand people have Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is rare in people who descended from Europe, but according to the U.S national library of medicine it is less common in people of “Japanese, Chinese and African decent” to name a few (2017). The symptoms may include: subtle changes in personality and physical skill. The most recognisable symptom is random sporadic movements throughout the body. This is called chorea; this can reduce coordination and cause other minor motor abnormities. This would lead to difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking, cause unusual facial expressions

Originally referred to as Huntington’s Chorea, Dr. Huntington named the disease after the Latin and Greek roots meaning a chorus of dances, which seemingly fit the “dancing disorders” seen throughout the Middle Ages and during the Salem Witch Trials. Upon the publication of Dr. Huntington’s paper On Chorea, the scientific community was soon able to locate the gene with results in this disease (“Hope Through Research”). Today it is estimated that over 30,000 Americans have Huntington’s and over 200,000 people are currently at risk for developing the disease later in life (“What is Huntington’s Disease”).

It is a disease that progressively breaks down the nerves in the brain. The genetic mutation that underlies the disease is in chromosome 4. The gene codes for the huntingtin protein, which makes up about 6% of the DNA in cells (Genetic Home Reference). This mutation deals with the trinucleotide repeat of the cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) sequence. This sequence repeat can repeat up to 40 times to be considered normal, but after this sequence repeats more than 41 times then it is considered Huntington's disease. Huntington’s protein can form inclusions seen in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus (Suchowersky). These inclusions are correlated with neuronal cell death, which occurs within the nerves. Interestingly, Huntington protein seems to be very important for early development (Suchowersky), but in high concentrations appears to become toxic especially to nerve cells. Overall, Huntington’s disease has a very intense effect on the body and behavior

Envision a life that is completely normal, walking and talking, running and playing, driving. However, then life begins to change. The person starts to stutter when speaking. Walking becomes difficult as the person trips over their own feet with jerky movements and even falls. Eventually, the ability to walk disappears and a wheelchair is the norm. No more running, playing, or driving. Balance and memory problems will appear in due course. Subsequently, even eating may be complicated leading to the possibility of a feeding tube. Loss of physical and mental abilities will progressively become worse. Ultimately, a long-term care facility may be in the future. This is the progression and life of a person with Huntington’s

It is a black and white test, either they would be positive or negative. A year ago, my good friend Chloe and her sister decided to have genetic testing to discern if they had Huntington’s disease. Their father had Huntington’s disease and it was a devastating experience. Their father was in the middle stage, he had a wobbly, spasmodic walk, spontaneous movements and his cognitive capabilities were waning. Chloe was negative, but her sister was positive. Watching my friends undergo testing and listening about their father revealed to me how Huntington’s disease has extensive emotional, social, and mental impact on the patients and their families. Chloe’s father experienced

Huntington’s disease, named after George Huntington, was discovered in 1872. It is a neurological condition that is caused by an altered gene. This gene is passed from parent to child, but the disease cannot be seen until a later age. As the disease affects the brain by death of brain cells, the patient loses thinking. Also loss of physical and emotional functions such as walking, feeling pain, and lack of display of emotion. The symptoms start to appear when adults are around the age of 30 as well as up to 70. The most common symptom of Huntington’s is chorea. Chorea is where the body jerks, usually in the arms and legs. They may also experience difficulty speaking, swallowing, and focusing.

“The time from disease onset to death is often about 10 to 30 years. Juvenile onset usually results in death within 10 years” (Huntington's disease, 2014). The rate of progression varies from person to person. The disease itself will not kill you, but complications from the disease. Pneumonia is the top cause of death of HD at 51.1 percent (Liou, 2010). Heart attack, kidney failure, gastrointestinal disease, and suicide are also some of the top complications with Huntington’s

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).

Gene is the basic unit of heredity in a living organism. It is also composed of the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Huntington's disease is caused by abnormal genes in the nerve cells in the brain. In the global population Huntington's disease evaluates that for every 100,000 people 5-10 people are going to have Huntington's disease. In the United States, 30,000 are affected by Huntington's disease and 150,000 people have 50 percent risk of evolving this disease. Moreover, in middle east countries Huntington's disease is estimated to affect 3-4 people per 100,000. Explaining the history, meaning and how the genes of Huntington's disease inherited helps to realize the disease and its risk.

Huntington’s disease (or Huntington’s chorea) is a hereditary degenerative disease that affects the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia. It is a progressive brain disease that targets the ability to move, loss of the ability to think, and emotional problems. The most common form of Huntington’s is adult onset, appearing in the thirties or forties. As the disease advances,

Huntington’s disease (HD) is monogenic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor, cognitive and psychiatric abnormalities. It consists of two types: adult onset and juvenile onset. The most common form is adult onset in which a person’s symptoms usually occur between 35-44 years old with a mean survival time of 15-20 years after onset, while the less common form known as the juvenile form begins in adolescence with a mean survival time of 10-15 years after onset.1

Symptoms for Huntington’s disease usually become apparent later in life, between the ages of 30 and 50, but in unusual and severe cases can be visible from as early as age 2. There are three distinct types of symptoms defective huntingtin kills off brain cells, Cognitive, Psychiatric, and Movement disorders. Cognitive Disorders include difficulty in focusing on tasks, a tendency to get stuck on a thought, lack of control that can result in outbursts, lack of awareness of self-behavior, slowness in processing ideas, and difficulty in learning. Psychiatric disorders from Huntington's Disease, is most often depression, however they can also be obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or repeating actions over and over again, mania, or overactivity and hyperactive behavior, bipolar disorder, which is uncontrolled alternating behaviors of depression and mania. Movement disorders include jerking movements, muscle problems, slow eye movements, impaired posture and balance, difficulty with the speech or swallowing, as the tell- tale symptoms for Huntington's Disease . As a result of the above symptoms, it is also common for people with Huntington’s is drastic weight loss (Huntington's