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Article: New apoptosis data have been reported by M. Diazhernandez and co-authors.
- Article from:
- Pain & Central Nervous System Week
- Article date:
- August 10, 2009
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According to a study from Madrid, Spain, "The precise mechanism by which mutant huntingtin elicits its toxicity remains unknown. However, synaptic alterations and increased susceptibility to neuronal death are known contributors to Huntington's disease (HD) symptomatology."
"While decreased metabolism has long been associated with HD, recent findings have surprisingly demonstrated reduced neuronal apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila models of HD by drugs that diminish ATP production. Interestingly, extracellular ATP has been recently reported to elicit neuronal death through stimulation of P2X7 receptors. These are ATP-gated cation channels known ...