What causes Huntington s disease?
Some of our brain cells are more sensitive to the form of Huntingtin - it undermines their function and eventually destroys them. Scientists are not sure exactly how that happens. Johns Hopkins brain scientists have understood why a faulty protein accumulates in cells everywhere in the bodies of people with Huntington's disease, but only kills cells in the brain that controls movement, causing negligible damage to tissues elsewhere. The answer lies in a small protein called "Rhes" that is found only in the brain that controls movement.
A person with Huntington's gene has one good copy of the gene and one defective copy of the gene. His / her child will inherit a good idea to copy or unacceptable one. A child who inherits a good copy will not develop Huntington's disease, while a child inherits a defective copy of the will. The child has a 50% chance of inheriting the faulty gene. If a child inherits the defective gene, each of his / her children will have a 50% chance of inheriting a damaged gene.
Some of our brain cells are more sensitive to the form of Huntingtin - it undermines their function and eventually destroys them. Scientists are not sure exactly how that happens. Johns Hopkins brain scientists have understood why a faulty protein accumulates in cells everywhere in the bodies of people with Huntington's disease, but only kills cells in the brain that controls movement, causing negligible damage to tissues elsewhere. The answer lies in a small protein called "Rhes" that is found only in the brain that controls movement.
A person with Huntington's gene has one good copy of the gene and one defective copy of the gene. His / her child will inherit a good idea to copy or unacceptable one. A child who inherits a good copy will not develop Huntington's disease, while a child inherits a defective copy of the will. The child has a 50% chance of inheriting the faulty gene. If a child inherits the defective gene, each of his / her children will have a 50% chance of inheriting a damaged gene.