Huntington's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Huntington's Disease, including details on genetics, causes, symptoms, treatment.

Synaptic dysfunction in Huntington's disease: a new perspective.

Smith R, Brundin P, Li JY

Neuronal Survival Unit, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC A10, 221 84, Lund, Sweden.

Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the protein huntingtin and is characterized by intraneuronal inclusions and widespread neuronal death at the late stage of the disease. In research, most of the emphasis has been on understanding the cell death and its mechanisms. Until recently, it was believed that the vast majority, if not all, of the symptoms in HD are a direct consequence of neurodegeneration. However, increasing evidence shows that subtle alterations in synaptic function could underlie the early symptoms. It is of particular interest to understand the nature of this neuronal dysfunction. Normal huntingtin interacts with various cytoskeletal and synaptic vesicle proteins that are essential for exocytosis and endocytosis. Altered interactions of mutant huntingtin with its associated partners could contribute to abnormal synaptic transmission in HD. This review describes recent advances in understanding synaptic dysfunction in HD.

Published 6 September 2005 in Cell Mol Life Sci, 62(17): 1901-12.
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