The Origin and Characteristics of Huntington’s Disease
...gton, who was the American physician who first described the disease. Huntington’s disease (HD) causes involuntary moments and loss of motor skills, as well as a change in personality and the loss of memory, and an overall decrease in mental capacity. Twitching of the arms, legs, face, and body will occur often. The disease shows up in life usually in adults within the third or fourth decade of life. They may also occur in individuals older and younger than this but the general age group mentioned before is the most prominent. The disease is found on the chromosome that produces a large protein called huntingtin. An abnormal HD gene results in the production of abnormal huntingtin protein. This abnormal protein causes brain cells to die. The way it destroys these cells is unknown. For a yet undiscovered reason, the affects of the disease begin in the basil ganglia, a region of the brain that helps coordinate movement. As the disease progresses cells begin to die in the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that controls the complex functions of thought, perception, and memory. The disease is hereditary, meaning that it is passed on to future generations of the already affected parents. There is a 50% chance at each pregnancy that a child of an infected parent will receive the gene for Huntington’s disease. There is no cure for Huntington’s disease but, there are treatments. Physicians prescribe a number of medicines to help control emotional and movement problems associated w...