Huntington’s Disease is a brain disorder affecting movement, cognition, and emotions (Schoenstadt). It is a genetic disorder generally affecting people in their middle 30s and 40s (Sheth). Worldwide, Huntington’s disease (affects between 3-7 per 100,000 people of European ancestry (Schoenstadt). In the United States alone, 1 in every 30,000 people has Huntington’s disease (Genetic Learning Center). Huntington’s Disease is a multi-faceted disease, with a complex inheritance pattern and a wide range of symptoms. There is also much research being done in the field of Huntington’s disease, because as of 2012, this disease is untreatable. THESIS.
George Huntington first described Huntington’s disease in 1872, but it was only mentioned to the world in 1913, when “Huntington’s chorea,” the disease’s original name, appeared on the agenda of a Washington medical convention (Bakalar). In 1936, Huntington’s disease was mentioned twice, in two different letters about eugenics, “improving the species by regulating human reproduction,” (Bakalar). It appeared as one of five diseases that should be considered for voluntary sterilization (Bakalar). The first description appeared in an article titled, “Report on a Hereditary Illness,” that described the study of Huntington’s that had been published in a British medical journal (Bakalar). The study, which found the illness to be more widespread than thought, mentioned George Huntington and his original work and included a description of the disease’s symptoms and prevalence (Bakalar). On October 4, 1967, Huntington’s disease made an appearance in the obituary of well-known folk singer and composer Woody Guthrie, who suffered from the disease for thirteen years.
In normal circumstances, every child...
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...RNA interference technology shuts down the normal and the abnormal huntingtin gene (Miller).
Works Cited
Appai-Kubi, Linda. Chaudhuri, K. Ray. “Huntington’s disease.” 9 January 2001. Web. 22 March 2012.
Folstein, Susan E. Huntington’s Disease. Baltimore: The John’s Hopkins University Press, 1989. Print.
Genetic Science Learning Center. "Huntington's Disease." Learn. Genetics. Web. 23 March 2012.
Miller, Marsha L. “HD Research – Past and Future.” Huntington’s Disease Society of America. 2011. Web. 23 March 2012.
Sheth, Kevin. “Huntington’s disease.” PubMed Health. Last reviewed 30 April 2011. Web. March 20, 2011.
The mindset of every living organism is to survive and reproduce. As such, it may be surprising to hear that diseases actually plays a crucial role in the survival of our predecessors. In the book Survival of the Sickest, Dr. Sharon Moalem discusses the role these hereditary disorders played in keeping our very ancestors alive. Three examples mentioned in the reading selection include hemochromatosis, diabetes, as well as favism. All the diseases I mentioned had a specific aspect, to which I found particularly appealing. In the case of hemochromatosis, I found it intriguing how the author used his own life to draw a connection between the two traits. Dr. Sharon Moalem lost his grandfather to hemochromatosis and later was diagnosed with the
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.
Wider, C., & Lüthi-Carter, R. (2006). Huntington's disease: Clinical and aetiologic aspects. Schweizer Archiv Für Neurologie Und Psychiatrie, 157(8), 378-383. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/docview/621626856?accountid=11789
Goldmann, David R., and David A. Horowitz. American College of Physicians Home Medical Guide to Parkinson's Disease. New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000. Print.
With more than 200,000 US cases per year, Parkinson’s disease has become a major part
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.
In Gattaca, the plot focuses on the ethics, the risks, and the emotional impact of genetic testing in the nearby future. The film was released in the 90s; yet in the present, the film does not give the impression of science fiction. Today, genetic testing is prevalent in many aspects of the scientific community. This paper will describe genetic testing, its purpose, diagnostic techniques that use genetic testing, relating Huntington’s disease to genetic testing, and the pros and cons of genetic testing.
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.
Walton, Sir John. Brain’s Diseases of the Nervous System. 9th ed. Oxford University Press. Oxford: 1985.
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).
The video, “Cracking the Genetic Code,” brought for forth some great interest in knowing that the medical field and technology has advanced so much that we can know our own genetic code and if we will or develop a certain disease. But aside from the interest, the video also brought forth some heartbreaking moments for the patients in the video that have had their lives turned around due to medical illness. For example, Megan Sullivan, who was a fully functional young woman and started showing symptoms of Huntington’s disease during her college years, which reduced her functioning to where she can barely even speak for the interview. It’s hard seeing somebody that young go through those huge obstacles, or in the case of Catherine Ellton, who, in a way, was forced to speed up her life in a
Dementia can occur in relation to many different illnesses. Some of the most common of which are Huntington’s Disease,
Since the gene for HD is dominant, there is a 50% chance of a sufferer's