Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Fractionation for Resolution of Soluble and Insoluble Huntingtin Species
Published on: February 27, 2018
Hypothalamic and neuroendocrine changes in Huntington's disease
Sofia Hult1, Kristofer Schultz, Rana Soylu
1Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Sweden.
Huntington's disease (HD) involves non-motor symptoms like mood and sleep changes. Hypothalamic dysfunction may cause these early HD symptoms, offering new therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene.
- Clinical manifestations include motor, cognitive, and psychiatric disturbances.
- Non-motor symptoms (mood, sleep, metabolic changes) often precede motor deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on hypothalamic and neuroendocrine changes in HD.
- To explore the role of these changes in HD pathogenesis and non-motor symptoms.
- To discuss their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical studies and rodent models of Huntington's disease.
- Analysis of identified hypothalamic and neuroendocrine alterations.
- Discussion of potential therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways.
Main Results:
- Hypothalamic and neuroendocrine changes are observed in both clinical HD and animal models.
- These changes correlate with early non-motor symptoms in HD.
- Dysfunction in these systems may contribute to HD pathogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Hypothalamic and neuroendocrine circuits are implicated in the non-motor symptoms of Huntington's disease.
- These alterations may serve as important biomarkers for disease progression.
- Targeting hypothalamic and neuroendocrine pathways presents a promising avenue for novel HD treatments.
More Related Videos
10:52Efficient and Scalable Production of Full-length Human Huntingtin Variants in Mammalian Cells using a Transient Expression System
Published on: December 10, 2021
09:06Whole-brain Segmentation and Change-point Analysis of Anatomical Brain MRI—Application in Premanifest Huntington's Disease
Published on: June 9, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Huntington Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Neural Regulation
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Parkinson's Disease: Overview