Paris, France – July 8, 2022: Dr. Sandrine Humbert from the Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience will present groundbreaking work done on Huntington’s disease from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on July 10, 2022, at Forum FENS 2022.
Huntington’s disease is a rare genetic disease that affects 5 to 10 people out of 100,000 people in Europe. The degenerative nature of the disorder causes psychiatric, cognitive, and motor symptoms that include depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies, decreased memory and ability to plan and organize, and uncontrolled movements of certain parts of the body.
This is all caused by a single mutation on the fourth chromosome in our genome. This harmful mutation causes a mutation in the huntingtin protein. Although the normal role of this protein is not fully understood, it is thought to play an important role in nerve cells and the effects of its dysfunction contribute to Huntington’s disease.
With the effects of Huntington’s disease being so devastating to patients and their loved ones, researchers around the world are working tirelessly to better understand the disease in hopes of finding a cure that currently does not exist.
While symptoms of Huntington’s disease normally begin in adulthood (after age 30), an important part of better understanding Huntington’s disease is looking at exactly what effects the faulty protein can have and when the malfunctions occur. are starting to happen.
To examine this, Dr. Humbert and a team of researchers from various French institutions conducted a two-part study in animals and humans. In mice, they were able to discover that this defective protein alters the formation of brain cells via the division of neural progenitor cells and the way in which they migrate to the right place and mature in the central nervous system.
To investigate this question further, they also examined tissue from human fetuses carrying the Huntington’s disease mutation. At just 13 weeks gestation, these tissues also showed clear abnormalities, particularly in the developing outer layer of the brain (cortex), which we know plays a vital role in higher-level processes in the human brain such as as sense perception, our emotions, decision making, language ability, and more.
These disturbing observations confirm that neurodegenerative diseases may have a neurodevelopmental component and highlight the need for a new molecular treatment that could be delivered to patients very early in life.
The FENS Forum offers a high-quality scientific program covering all aspects of neuroscience, from basic research to translational research. Over the course of five days, attendees will have unprecedented access to a range of symposia, technical workshops, plenary and special lectures like these as well as poster sessions and more!
FENS and the Neuroscience Society look forward to welcoming the neuroscience community to participate in Europe’s largest international neuroscience meeting from July 9-13, 2022 in Paris, France.
Press passes are still available.
About FENS
FENS is the leading neuroscience organization in Europe. FENS currently represents 44 European national and monodisciplinary neuroscience societies in 33 European countries and more than 21,000 member scientists. FENS promotes neuroscience research to policy makers, funding agencies and the general public, both regionally and internationally. FENS promotes excellence in neuroscience research and facilitates exchange and networking between neuroscientists within the European Research Area and beyond.
Media contact before and during the Forum
FENS Forum press officer
Michelle Wilson-Andre
Mw.scicom@gmail.com
+34 7 68 86 55 47
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