When the Brain’s Orchestra Falls Out of Tune: A New Map of Huntington’s Disease Progression

An international collaboration between world leaders in Huntington’s disease (HD) that spans both academia and pharmaceutical companies is giving us new insight into how HD progresses. This study has given researchers a detailed timeline of how brain connectivity changes in HD. Using an advanced technique called MIND, researchers traced how brain communication networks shift over […]
Stopping the Genetic Snowball: How a simple genetic interruption slows Huntington’s disease

While the genetic change that causes Huntington’s disease (HD) leads to several problems for cells, researchers believe they could stem from one core issue: the length of the genetic change increasing over time, like a snowball gaining mass as it rolls downhill. This genetic phenomenon, known as somatic instability or somatic expansion, seems to be […]
Cracking the Case: How a Smartphone “Detective” is Helping Track Huntington’s Disease Progression

team of researchers from Roche and University College London (UCL) have developed a new clinical measure called the Huntington’s Disease Digital Motor Score (HDDMS). This score compiles data collected remotely using smartphones, to track certain signs and symptoms of Huntington’s disease (HD). This new technology helps collect rich datasets and could help reduce the number […]
Unsung Heroes: Could Glial Cells Treat Huntington’s Disease?

New research is challenging how we think about treating brain diseases, like Huntington’s disease (HD). A study from the lab of Dr. Steven Goldman shows that transplanting healthy early-stage support cells from humans into the brains of adult mice that model HD improves movement, memory, and even survival. But that’s not all — these cells, […]
Simon Says Stop: What a Children’s Game Can Teach Us About Early Huntington’s Disease

Do you remember playing “Simon Says” as a child? It was fun, silly, and surprisingly tricky. You had to listen carefully and only act when you heard “Simon says”. If you moved at the wrong time, you were out. It turns out that Simon Says isn’t just a playground game. It’s also a helpful way […]
Energy off balance: How Huntington’s disease influences the cell’s powerhouse

A recent study used miniature 3D brain models grown from stem cells to explore how the genetic change that causes Huntington’s disease (HD) might impact early brain development, before neurons even become neurons. What they found suggests that the tipping point that balances how cells mature may be off, and it could be because of […]