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Huntington's Disease

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Definition

Huntington's disease is a disorder passed down through families in which certain nerve cells in the brain waste away, or degenerate.

Symptoms

Behavior changes may occur before movement problems, and can include:

Antisocial behaviors
Hallucinations
Irritability
Moodiness
Restlessness or fidgeting
Paranoia
Psychosis

Abnormal and unusual movements include:

Head turning to shift eye position
Facial movements, including grimaces
Slow, uncontrolled movements
Quick, sudden, sometimes wild jerking movements of the arms, legs, face, and other body parts
Unsteady gait

Dementia that slowly gets worse, including:

Loss of memory
Loss of judgment
Speech changes
Personality changes
Disorientation or confusion

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

Symptoms in children:

Rigidity
Slow movements
Tremor

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Seizures
A seizure is the physical findings or changes in behavior that occur after an episode of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. See also: Generalized tonic clonic seizure; Partial (focal) seizure; Petit mal (absence) seizure; Epilepsy; Fever (... More »
ADAM

Chorea
Chorea refers to brief, repetitive, jerky, or dancelike uncontrolled movements caused by muscle contractions that occur as symptoms of several different disorders. The English word "chorea" itself comes from the Greek word choreia , which means "d... More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders

Tremor
Tremor is an unintentional (involuntary) rhythmical alternating movement that may affect the muscles of any part of the body. Tremor is caused by the rapid alternating contraction and relaxation of muscles and is a common symptom of diseases of th... More »
Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders

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