Brief description of Huntington's Disease.

1. SLIDESMANIA.COM
SLIDESMANIA.COM
Huntington’s Disease

2. SLIDESMANIA.COM
Where Does the
Name Come From?
The name for Huntington’s disease comes from George Huntington.
For a bit of background, George Huntington was a doctor from the
United States, born in 1850 in Long Island, New York. He attended
Columbia University and helped with figuring out the “clinical
description” of the disease.
Image
1

3. SLIDESMANIA.COM
SLIDESMANIA.COM
This disease is inherited.
How do people get Huntington’s?
When someone does get
it, it usually happens
around the ages of 30
and 50.
When the gene that
causes this disease is
passed down to someone,
they have a 50% chance
of being affected by it.
People from european
descent are more prone
to acquiring it.

4. SLIDESMANIA.COM
Symptoms
Issues with
Memory
Chorea
Issues with
Speech
Lack of
Coordination
Personality
Changes

5. SLIDESMANIA.COM
Huntington’s Chorea
One of the symptoms of Huntington’s, is Huntington’s chorea. The “chorea,”
or excess of involuntary movements, is caused by an issue with the brain’s
basal ganglia. The basal ganglia is in charge of making motor decisions, but
in a disease such as Huntington’s, when an action is selected, other actions
aren’t suppressed, hence causing involuntary movements. In more detail, the
cerebral cortex sends an excitatory signal through the direct pathway, by
taking this pathway, the signal goes through the striatum and then through
the pallidum cells. When it gets to the pallidum, it inhibits it causing a
suppressed movement to be activated. During this, the indirect pathway
makes sure that all other unnecessary movements are being suppressed. So
the real issue with Huntington’s chorea lies in the indirect pathway, because it
is unable to suppress all the extra movements that are competing with the
movements sent through the direct pathway.

6. SLIDESMANIA.COM
SLIDESMANIA.COM
In Huntington’s disease, affected proteins
begin killing neurons. The basal ganglia is
affected, as previously stated, but the
neocortex is affected as well. All memory,
both semantic and episodic, is stored in the
neocortex, so when neurons in the neocortex
begin to die, memory begins to fail. In
advanced cases of this disease, dementia
becomes present for this very reason.
Personality changes, issues with speech, and
lack of coordination, are also common since
there is so much damage to the brain.
How Other Symptoms are Caused
This image shows the difference between a brain
with and without Huntington’s Disease.
Image
2

7. SLIDESMANIA.COM
SLIDESMANIA.COM
Huntington’s is a family disease
and experience. No diagnosis is
singular to one person - it
permeates the family.”
―Kimberly Pryce

8. SLIDESMANIA.COM
SLIDESMANIA.COM
How Huntington’s affects families
Symptoms such as
mood swings and
personality changes
put a strain in
relationships.
Because of
disease
inheritance,
the choice of
whether or not
to have a child,
becomes more
complicated.
The person is
unable to
continue
working. If
they’re the
family provider,
issues start to
arise.
The cost of
treatment,
medication, and
therapy may
cause financial
hardships.
Caring for a person
with Huntington’s,
requires being
emotionally present
and communication,
something not
everyone has.

9. SLIDESMANIA.COM
SLIDESMANIA.COM
Treatment
Huntington’s Disease has no cure, and people who suffer from
it usually die from issues caused by its symptoms. Medication is
usually administered to deal with chorea and the emotional
symptoms. And though there is no current cure, clinical trials
are still going on.

10. SLIDESMANIA.COM
SLIDESMANIA.COM
Citations
Websites
Images
Presentation Template
Huntington’s disease: The pryce sisters’ story. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 21, 2021, from
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/patient_information/patient-stories/huntin
gtons-disease-the-pryce-sisters-story.
Huntington's disease: Genetics, juvenile cases & chorea. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 21, 2021, from
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14369-huntingtons-disease.
History of Huntington's Disease. Huntington's Disease Society of America. (n.d.). Retrieved
from
https://hdsa.org/what-is-hd/history-and-genetics-of-huntingtons-disease/history-of-huntingtons
-diseas e/.
Jona, C. M. H. (2017, September 29). Families Affected by Huntington’s Disease Report
Difficulties in Communication, Emotional Involvement, and Problem Solving. National Center
of Biotechnology Information. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5682576/.
Overview Huntington's Disease. National Health Service. (2021, March 29). Retrieved from
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/huntingtons-disease/.
Illustration showing the difference in structure of a normal brain and
one with Huntington's disease. (n.d.). Health Direct. Retrieved from
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/huntingtons-disease.
George Huntington. (2009). Wikipedia. Retrieved from
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Huntington.
Colorful shapes and lines: Free PowerPoint Template & Google Slides
theme. SlidesMania. (2021, August 3). Retrieved November 21, 2021, from
https://slidesmania.com/easton-free-presentation-template/.

11. SLIDESMANIA.COM
Thank you!