Immunobiology and Immunotherapies in Huntington's Disease

Preview this chapter:

Immunobiology and Immunotherapies in Huntington's Disease, Page 1 of 1

< Previous page | Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/9789815238754/chapter-4-1.gif

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative complication of the brain that causes uncontrolled choreatic movements, memory loss, abnormal motor function, emotional changes, and a decline in cognition as well as an inability to perform daily routine tasks. The development of advanced techniques, including genetics, molecular biology, and genetic engineering, is beginning to discover an anomalous role of immune modulatory molecules in HD onset and pathophysiological complications. However, the role of immunoregulatory molecules, which are the key chemical messengers that mediate intracellular communication to regulate cellular and nuclear functions in HD pathogenesis, is still being unexplored. Here we present recent immunological association studies on HD and emerging mechanisms for the immunotherapies implicated in HD pathogenesis. The implications of immunotherapies are very critical under both healthy and HD disease conditions. Recently, research work has established new functional aspects of their pathways. Moreover, we propose future directions for immune-related research in HD pathogenesis and potential therapeutic approaches for immune-related therapies.