“Huntington's disease (HD) is the result of a genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in certain areas of the brain” (NINDS). The condition has been named after George Huntington, the finding physician who first discovered ands defined it in the late 1800s.The flawed gene code shows a blueprint for a protein called huntingtin (Huntington's Disease). This protein’s role is not yet known, but it's called "huntingtin" do to the doctors that linked it as a defective form and the cause of Huntington's disease. The faulty huntingtin protein leads to changes in the brains functional process, this genetic anomaly which is caused by a defect in the gene of chromosome 4. The imperfection creates a part of DNA, called a “CAG trinucleotide repeat” to occur more times than normal. This section of DNA would normally repeat ten to twenty eight times. Huntington disease carriers on the other hand show it repeated thirty six to one hundred and twenty times” (A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia). Those with Huntington disease will develop spontaneous jolting or jerking movements identified as chorea (Huntington disease. 2014.).
The degeneration of these cells causes uncontrollable actions, a loss of rational abilities, and emotional disorders. Huntington disease is hereditary, which means it is passed from the host parent (father or Mother) to the child by way of a mutation in a gene. Every child with Huntington disease parents has a fifty-fifty chance of receiving the Huntington disease gene (NINDS). In children who do not inherit the gene will not develop the mutation and will not pass it on to following generations. Children born that do inherit the Huntington disease mutation gene will sooner or later develop the disease...
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WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, 1997. Tabular list of neurological and related disorders. In: WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, ed. Application of the International Classification of Diseases to Neurology. Canada: World Health Organisation, p. 153.
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If Nathaniel Wu did not have the allele for Huntington’s disease, he would undeniably be the perfect scientist for the position in the eyes of the IPC. Wu is a 30-year-old microbiologist at one if the best research laboratories worldwide. After a series of interviews, the IPC was convinced his determination was not only factor that qualified him more in comparison to the other candidates; they realized that his potential “[is] likely to result in the type of discoveries for new drugs and treatments,” a goal that has not been reached since Dr. Peters’s incident. Wu is also known as a creative researcher and a hard worker, meaning that hiring him will likely result in a dramatic increase of earnings for the IPC. Considering that Huntington’s disease will most likely deteriorate Wu’s abilities, many may argue that it is not worthwhile to hire Wu; it is foreseen that the symptoms of Huntington’s disease begin to appear as soon as th...
Varanese, S., Birnbaum, Z., Rossi, R., & Di Rocco, A. (2010). Treatment of Advanced Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease.
ParkinsonDotOrg. "National Parkinson Foundation: Believe in Better." National Parkinson Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.Biology Research Paper: Parkinson’s Disease
Francis S. Collins is a renowned geneticist who originally became Ph.D in Physical Chemistry at Yale University and later on, a Medical Doctor at University of North Carolina. As soon as he graduated he was offered a fellowship in Human Genetics at Yale University under the guidance of Sherman Weissman, currently Sterling Professor of Genetics. In the late 1980’s Collins became known in the field of Medical Genetics for his development of positional cloning, a technique that allows to locate a hereditary disease-causing gene by studying the inheritance pattern within a family. Working with his method researchers found the genes responsible for diseases like Cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, Neurofibromatosis, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type one, and Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome. In 1993 Dr. Collins succeeded Dr. James D. Watson as the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), overseeing the role of the United States in the mapping of the human genome. In 2009 President Obama personally recommended Collins to lead the National Institute of Health (NIH) where he works until present day. Francis S. Collins is by no means a bragging individual, bits and pieces of his accomplishments are scattered throughout the book and he makes no big deal about it; instead he j...
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive autosomal dominant neurodegenerative genetic disorder. HD was originally named Huntington’s chorea after Dr.George Huntington, an American physician who first gave a detailed note on the symptoms and course of the disease in 1872.Recently the name has been changed to Huntington’s disease to emphasize the fact that chorea is not the only important manifestation of the disease but several non-motor symptoms are also associated with this disease.[1]
About 30,000 people in the United States have Huntington's Disease, affecting men and women equally among all ethnic and racial backgrounds (helpguide.org). While its more common in adults, juvenile Huntington's occurs in one-sixth of all cases (helpguide.org). Huntington's Disease (HD) is a devastating, hereditary disease that slowly decreases the affected person's capability to walk, talk and reason. Sooner or later, the person with HD becomes completely dependent upon others for his or her care. Huntington's Disease affects the lives of entire families immensely: emotionally, socially and economically. In this research paper, the pathophysiology, manifestation, and medical management of this disease will be examined.
Parkinson's is an idiopathic, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that attacks neurotransmitters in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine is concentrated in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra. The neurotransmitter dopamine is a chemical that regulates muscle movement and emotion. Dopamine is responsible for relaying messages between the substantia nigra and other parts of the brain to control body movement. The death of these neurotransmitters affects the central nervous system. The most common symptoms are movement related, including shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with posture. Behavioral problems may arise as the disease progresses. Due to the loss of dopamine, Parkinson's patients will often experience depression and some compulsive behavior. In advanced stages of the disease dementia will sometimes occur. The implications of the disease on the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory and phonatory systems significantly control speech.
"The On-Off Phenomenon." Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 1989, suppl. ,pp. 29-37. Lieberman, A., "Emerging Perspectives in Parkinson’s Disease."
Huntington’s disease is named after George Huntington. This disease genetically is an inherited disorder that damages the mind and nervous system. This may affect actions of the body for example like movement, the ability to reason, awareness, and thinking and judgment. It can also affect their behavior. The word genetic is that the disorder is delivered on by each generation of offspring by special codes called genes(Patient.Co.Uk, 2011). Genes are relocated from a parent to offspring and is held to decide some characteristics of the children (Patient.Co.Uk, 2011).
Dementia can occur in relation to many different illnesses. Some of the most common of which are Huntington’s Disease,
Dyck, P., Feldman, E., & Vinick, A. 2013 - November 26. Diabetic Neuropathy: The Nerve Damage of Diabetes. Retrieved from http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/neuropathies/#types. NINDS (2008, September 16). NINDS Diabetic Neuropathy Information Page.
Since the gene for HD is dominant, there is a 50% chance of a sufferer's