Imaging brain metabolism with PET (positron emission tomography) can be used to track disease progression in clinically normal carriers of the Huntington’s disease gene who have yet to develop symptoms, according to a study my colleagues and I just published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Huntington’s disease is extremely debilitating. It causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, which leads to impairments in movement, thinking and emotions. Our new findings are a major advance in the field, because they create a way to assess the potential benefit of new treatments before symptoms ever appear.
Please watch this space for a video about how our discovery can affect the traditional “watch-and-wait” diagnosis and treatment of Huntington’s disease.
Find out what's happening in Plainviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
This post was written by David Eidelberg, MD, senior investigator at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and head of the center for neurosciences at the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
For more North Shore-LIJ Health Blog posts, go to http://blog.northshorelij.com/
Contents of the health blog are the property of North Shore-LIJ Health System and are provided as a health resource for consumers, health care professionals and members of the media. The medical content on the North Shore-LIJ Health Blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for consultation with your physician regarding diagnosis, treatment or any other form of specific medical advice. These materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "North Shore-LIJ Health System," "North Shore-LIJ," "northshorelij.com," "VivoHealth," their related entities and logos are trademarks of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Copyright © 2011 North Shore-LIJ Health System. All rights reserved.
