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How to Control Huntington’s Disease

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Currently, there is no cure for Huntington’s disease (HD) and only limited numbers of treatments are effective in controlling HD symptoms. HD a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor disturbances, psychiatric dysfunctions, and cognitive disabilities. HD is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, means that the inheritance of a single copy of the mutant huntingtin allele containing an expanded CAG repeat region in exon 1 (>36 CAG repeat) causes the disease. Translation of the mutant allele mRNA yields the mutant huntingtin protein (mHtt) containing an expanded polyglutamine region near the amino terminus, which favor protein cleavage and accumulation of the N-terminus in the nucleus. N-terminal huntingtin affects transcription of subsets of genes. Early in HD progression, levels of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and dopamine receptor type 2 (D2) are reduced in the medium spiny neurons of the striatum. CB1 receptor is able to activate several signaling pathways through the activation of different G proteins as well as arrestin-2. Furthermore, compelling anatomical and physiological evidence suggests a strong interaction between the CB1 and D2 receptors. Given this interaction between CB1 and D2 receptors, drugs that block or activate either receptor will influence convergent signaling pathways. Typical and atypical antipsychotics, including haloperidol and olanzapine, respectively, are commonly prescribed to HD patients to control chorea and

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