Effect of Trinucleotide Repeats in the Huntington's Gene on Intelligence.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Huntington's Disease (HD) is caused by an abnormality in the HTT gene. This gene includes trinucleotide repeats ranging from 10 to 35, and when expanded beyond 39, causes HD. We previously reported that CAG repeats in the normal range had a direct and beneficial effect on brain development with higher repeats being associated with higher cognitive function. The current study now expands this line of inquiry to evaluate the effects of CAG repeat throughout the entire spectrum of repeats from 15 to 58.

Methods

We evaluated brain function in children ages 6-18 years old. DNA samples were processed to quantify the number of CAG repeats within HTT. Linear regression was used to determine if number of CAG repeats predicted measures of brain function.

Findings

The

SUBMITTER: Lee JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6013750 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature