Hope for Huntington’s

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Tags: medical research, QBI, winter-2011

A QBI study on mice could lead to a treatment for Huntington's disease. Image istockphoto

Surprising findings from a study into the brains of transgenic mice carrying the Huntington’s disease mutation could pave the way for treatments which delay the onset and progression of this devastating genetic disease.

Researchers at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute have found the brains of mice with Huntington’s disease retain populations of the precursor and stem cells which can give rise to new neurons.

The potential for stimulating the production of new neurons in Huntington’s disease patients remain high, according to Dr Tara Walker, the postdoctoral fellow who carried out the work in the laboratory of Professor Perry Bartlett.

“Combined with previous findings which show that environmental enrichment and antidepressant treatment delayed both the onset and progression of Huntington’s disease in mice, these findings are encouraging,” she said.

“Now we know that the capacity to generate neurons is retained in animals in even advanced stages of Huntington’s disease, further research will need to explore what stops this process from occurring.

“This may not only allow the restoration of neurogenesis, but may also allow this process to be harnessed to repair other areas of neuronal cell loss.”

To learn more about how you can support QBI research, contact Jenny Valentine on (07) 3346 6413 or j.valentine1@uq.edu.au

By Denise Cullen

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