A medication previously studied in patients with Alzheimer's disease (latrepirdine) appears well tolerated and may improve thinking, learning and memory skills among individuals with Huntington's disease, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
"Huntington's disease is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, behavior and cognition and leads to death within 20 years of disease onset," the authors write as background information in the article. "Cognitive [thinking, learning and memory] impairment occurs early in the disease and deteriorates as Huntington's disease progresses, contributing to loss of ability to work and perform activities of daily living." The only approved therapy for Huntington's disease, tetrabenazine, treats only motor symptoms and does not alter the course of the disease or prevent cognitive decline.
Abnormalities in mitochondria, parts of cells that help convert food into energy, have been implicated in the development of Huntington's disease. The synthetic molecule latrepirdine stabilizes and improves mitochondrial function, and has been studied as a way to improve cognitive, behavioral and functional outcomes in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Karl Kieburtz, M.D., M.P.H., of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, N.Y., and colleagues assessed the safety and tolerability of latrepirdine among 91 participants with mild to moderate Huntington's disease at enrollment (2007 to 2008).