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New research reveals insights into Huntington's disease treatment

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Research conducted recently at the Massachusetts General Hospital reveals that certain treatments can increase brain levels of an important regulatory enzyme and may slow the loss of brain cells that characterizes Huntington's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

The MGH-based research team reported that increased expression of Sirt1, of the sirtuins family of enzymes in the brain, can protect against neurodegeneration that can lead to Huntington's disease and is commonly developed by persons in their mid-30s and 40s.

"Diseases such as Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease have different causative factors, but they share common themes – such as aggregation of misfolded proteins – and a unifying endpoint, the degenerative loss of neurons," said Dimitri Krainc, the study's senior author. "Pharmacological targeting of Sirt1 may provide an opportunity for therapeutic development in HD and, more generally, in the neurodegenerative disorders of aging."

According to the U.S. Library of Medicine, Huntington's disease is a disorder passed down through families that involves nerve cells in certain parts of the brain wasting away. Those who display symptoms may be tested for signs of dementia, abnormal movements or reflexes, wide walk and hesitant speech or poor enunciation. The cognitive impairment caused by diseases like Huntington's can make it difficult for patients to make independent decisions regarding the dispensation of their assets, highlighting the importance of thinking about this and obtaining a suitable life insurance policy while enjoying good health.

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