Enzyme overexpression 'could stave off brain injury in Huntington's'RSS Feed

Treatment that increases brain levels of an essential regulatory enzyme could stave off the brain injury observed in Huntington's disease, new research shows.

A study published in the journal Nature Medicine revealed that increased expression of Sirt1 in the brain of a mouse model of Huntington's disease protected against neurodegeneration.

One potential mechanism to trigger the overexpression of the chemical, which comes from the sirtuins family of enzymes, was also identified.

Senior author Dimitri Krainc noted that while diseases such as Huntington's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's all have different causative factors, they share common themes such as the aggregation of misfolded proteins, and the same endpoint of the degenerative loss of neurons.

"Pharmacological targeting of Sirt1 may provide an opportunity for therapeutic development in HD and, more generally, in the neurodegenerative disorders of aging."

Meanwhile, higher consumption of baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis could lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

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