Genetics of Huntington's disease

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Posted by Marietta on September 12, 2000 at 13:39:56:

9-12-00 @ DNA.com 8pm EST w/ Neurologist Martha Nance,M.D.

Huntington's disease is a progressive disorder in which nerve cells in the brain waste away. This eventually leads to dementia, uncontrolled movements, and death. Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 35 and 50, although younger people can also develop the disease. There is no known cure for Huntington's disease.

Huntington's disease is rare, affecting five of every million people. A variant of a gene on chromosome #4 causes the disease. If one parent carries this variant gene, each child will have a 50 percent chance of getting the variant and later developing the disease. Dr. Martha Nance, director of the Huntington's Disease Clinic in Minneapolis, talks about this debilitating disease and what science can do to treat and prevent it.

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Martha Anne Nance, M.D., is the director of the Huntington's Disease Clinic at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn. She is also the Medical director of the Struthers Parkinson's Center in Golden Valley, Minn. Dr. Nance is a neurologist at the Park Nicollet Clinic and teaches neurology at the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Society of Human Genetics, the Movement Disorders Society, and is a medical-research liaison for the National Ataxia Foundation. She is also a field editor for the American Journal of Medical Genetics, director of the U.S. Huntington Disease Genetic Testing Group, and Co-Director of the Ataxia Molecular Diagnostic Testing Group. After graduating Cum Laude from Yale University, Dr. Nance earned her medical degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from the Medical College of Virginia.

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: 9-12-00 @ DNA.com 8pm EST w/ Neurologist Martha Nance,M.D. : Huntington's disease is a progressive disorder in which nerve cells in the brain waste away. This eventually leads to dementia, uncontrolled movements, and death. Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 35 and 50, although younger people can also develop the disease. There is no known cure for Huntington's disease. : Huntington's disease is rare, affecting five of every million people. A variant of a gene on chromosome #4 causes the disease. If one parent carries this variant gene, each child will have a 50 percent chance of getting the variant and later developing the disease. Dr. Martha Nance, director of the Huntington's Disease Clinic in Minneapolis, talks about this debilitating disease and what science can do to treat and prevent it. : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Martha Anne Nance, M.D., is the director of the Huntington's Disease Clinic at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn. She is also the Medical director of the Struthers Parkinson's Center in Golden Valley, Minn. Dr. Nance is a neurologist at the Park Nicollet Clinic and teaches neurology at the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Society of Human Genetics, the Movement Disorders Society, and is a medical-research liaison for the National Ataxia Foundation. She is also a field editor for the American Journal of Medical Genetics, director of the U.S. Huntington Disease Genetic Testing Group, and Co-Director of the Ataxia Molecular Diagnostic Testing Group. After graduating Cum Laude from Yale University, Dr. Nance earned her medical degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from the Medical College of Virginia.