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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2001;286:159.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Scientists have known for some time that striatal neurons selectively die in the brains of patients with Huntington disease (HD) and have assumed that this event is caused by a mutated version of a protein called huntingtin. Now, new research by an international team of investigators from Italy, Canada, the United States, and Sweden provides insight into the function of normal huntingtin protein, a finding that could point toward new treatment strategies for the disease.

The researchers discovered that huntingtin regulates the production of another protein, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is essential for survival of striatal neurons.

"We propose that disruption of normal huntingtin function in the brains of HD patients causes insufficient neurotrophic support for striatal neurons," the researchers said. Developing drugs that mimic or increase the normal activity of huntingtin protein and increase BDNF levels may provide a way of protecting the brain . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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