waht is huntington disease

WHAT IS HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE?

Huntington disease (HD) is a genetic disorder, neurodegenerative and hereditary. Long known as the Huntington, she was named after George Huntington, American physician who was the first described scientifically in 1872. The gene responsible the disease was discovered in 1993.Previously, she was called "St. Vitus Dance" as the most visible signs were the involuntary movements in many parts of the body. Today, we talk about Huntington's disease and no longer Huntington's disease, the term "disease" that better because it includes movement disorders and disorders of character or behavior.

Huntington's disease is mainly characterized by a degeneration of a specific brain region, the striatum formed by the caudate and putamen, and when the disease progresses, it affects the future cerebral cortex.

This disease causes progressive deterioration:

* Motor function, resulting in choreic movements (uncontrolled movements) and balance disorders.

* Cognitive functions, namely:

- Functions responsive to the acquisition, processing, classification and integration of information; 
- memory and learning for the storage and recall of information; 
- the thought or reasoning concerning the mental organization and reorganization of information; 
- the expressive functions for communication or action.

This alteration, are added psychiatric disorders that fluctuate during the course of the disease and the most common are depression, irritability (hence aggressive) and apathy.

People with Huntington's disease have difficulty controlling their movements, remembering recent events, organize and schedule tasks to undertake, to be located in space, to control their emotions .. .

In France, an estimated 6000 people suffer from Huntington's disease and 12 000 are infected (in the future declare the disease).

     >>>>>>>>>The biological basis HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE

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