View clinical trials related to Huntington Disease.
Filter by:This study will examine whether lithium carbonate, given alone or with divalproex, increases the amount of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the spinal fluid of patients with Huntington's disease (HD), a hereditary disorder of the central nervous system. Patients with this fatal degenerative disease have lower amounts of substances in the brain and spinal fluid called trophic or growth factors. One of these factors is BDNF. A possible treatment for HD may be to increase the levels of BDNF. Lithium carbonate, a drug used to treat bipolar disorder, and divalproex, a drug used to treat mood disorders and seizure disorders, have both been shown to increase the amount of BDNF protein in laboratory studies. Patients 18 to 70 years old with a DNA-confirmed diagnosis of Huntington's disease may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, neurological evaluation, blood and urine tests, and electrocardiogram (EKG). Participants take lithium carbonate with and without divalproex. They also receive placebo (an inactive substance) for portions of the study. On the first day of the study, patients are given a supply of pills with instructions on how to take them. Blood pressure and pulse are measured, and blood and urine tests may be done. Patients are evaluated with standardized tests and scales for assessment of various aspects of HD. Patients return to the clinic once a week for follow-up evaluations, including blood and urine tests, physical examinations, disease assessments, and a review of medication side effects. Each week, they receive a new supply of medications and instructions on how to take them. At the end of the sixth week, they finish taking the medications. During the study, patients undergo three lumbar punctures (spinal taps) - at weeks 2, 4, and 6 - to measure BDNF and various other brain chemicals. For this test, a local anesthetic is given and a needle is inserted in the space between the bones in the lower back where the CSF circulates below the spinal cord. A small amount of fluid is collected through the needle. The procedure generally takes from 5 to 20 minutes. Patients return to the clinic 2 weeks after completing the study medication for a final evaluation, including a physical examination and blood and urine tests.
The purpose of this study is to identify health management concerns and needs of family members of asymptomatic and symptomatic persons with mutation in the gene for Huntington Disease (HD).
The purpose of this study is to define the natural history and experiences of people who are at risk for developing Huntington's disease but who do not know their genetic status.
The purpose of this trial is to study early brain and behavioral changes in people who have the gene expansion for Huntington's disease, but are currently healthy and have no symptoms.
This is a study to determine whether treatment with minocycline is safe and tolerable in patients with Huntington's disease (HD) and whether minocycline reduces symptoms of HD in these patients.
This study, CREST-HD, will examine the safety and tolerability of 8 grams of creatine in subjects affected by Huntington's disease (HD). Biochemistry and neuroimaging will be used to examine the potential effects of creatine on HD.
OBJECTIVES: I. Correlate clinical outcome with cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with Huntington's disease (HD) and their at-risk relatives. II. Evaluate the efficacy of cerebral glucose metabolism in observing the pathophysiologic development of HD, monitoring responses to experimental therapy, and predicting HD genotype. III. Identify, define, and describe the natural history of pathophysiologic lesions in HD. IV. Characterize the genotypic and phenotypic expression of the HD gene.
Huntington's disease is a chronic disorder passed on through genetic autosomal dominant inheritance. The condition usually begins between the ages of 30 and 50 years and it is characterized by involuntary movements in the face and extremities, (chorea), accompanied by changes in behavior and gradual loss of the mental function. The disease typically ends in a state of disorientation, impaired memory, judgement, and intellect (dementia). The objective of this study is to test the effectiveness of the drug amantadine for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's disease. Amantadine is an antiviral drug that has been used to treat a variety of illnesses including Parkinson's disease. Amantadine works by attaching to special sites called NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors and blocking the normal activity of glutamate there. Glutamate is an amino acid released by brain cells and has been associated with the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.