Huntington's disease

noun

Hun·​ting·​ton's disease ˈhən-tiŋ-tənz- 

variants or less commonly Huntington disease or Huntington's chorea or Huntington's

: a hereditary brain disorder that is a progressive, neurodegenerative condition marked especially by impairments in thinking and reasoning, disturbances of emotion and behavior, and the involuntary spasmodic movements of chorea and that is associated with the loss or atrophy of nerve cells in the basal ganglia especially of the caudate nucleus and putamen

Note: Huntington's disease is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait requiring only one parent to pass on a copy of the defective gene on a chromosome other than a sex chromosome. While it may have an onset at any age, people most often become symptomatic between 30 to 50 years of age. The most common symptoms of Huntington's disease include depression, irritability, mood swings, deficits in memory and concentration, dementia, difficulty in swallowing, jerky movements, and loss of coordination.

Examples of Huntington's disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And the same kind of disease process is at work in a disease like Huntington's disease, potentially in ALS, in Parkinson's disease, and even in Alzheimer's. —Sara Ganim, USA TODAY, 1 July 2024

These scans can also detect other diseases like neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024

The business proposal came just days after Westcott, who has Huntington's disease, underwent a six-hour back surgery. —USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2023

Outside of Mel and Jack, the season 4 conclusion saw Ricky off to the military, a safe reunion for Paige and Christopher, and Denny’s Huntington's disease reveal. —Rebecca Norris, Country Living, 3 June 2023

Other conditions linked to dementia include Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is part of a group of rare fatal brain disorders known as prion diseases. —Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 30 May 2023

Matt's mom had Huntington's disease. —Dana Hunsinger Benbow, The Indianapolis Star, 23 May 2022

Those diagnosed with cancer, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, AIDS, Crohn's disease, autism and more will be eligible to purchase medical marijuana under the new Mississippi law. —Shawna Mizelle, CNN, 3 Feb. 2022

Documentarian Lucy Walker is no stranger to Sundance, having previously screened work at the festival that dove into topics like Huntington's disease and competitive snowboarding. —Keaton Bell, Vogue, 25 Jan. 2021

Word History

Etymology

George Huntington †1916 American physician

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Huntington's disease

noun

Hun·​ting·​ton's disease ˈhənt-iŋ-tənz- 

: an inherited nervous disorder that develops in adult life and leads to severely reduced mental functioning

Medical Definition

Huntington's disease

noun

Hun·​ting·​ton's disease ˌhənt-iŋ-tənz- 

variants also Huntington disease or Huntington's chorea or Huntington's

: a hereditary brain disorder that is a progressive, neurodegenerative condition marked especially by impairments in thinking and reasoning, disturbances of emotion and behavior, and the involuntary spasmodic movements of chorea and is associated with the loss or atrophy of nerve cells in the basal ganglia especially of the caudate nucleus and putamen

Note: Huntington's disease is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait requiring only one parent to pass on a copy of the defective gene on a chromosome other than a sex chromosome. While it may have an onset at any age, people most often become symptomatic between 30 to 50 years of age. The most common symptoms of Huntington's disease include depression, irritability, mood swings, deficits in memory and concentration, dementia, difficulty in swallowing, jerky movements, and loss of coordination.