Synthetic Oil Drug May Bring Promise for Huntington’s Disease

An early study, published in the journal Neurology, suggests that a synthetic triglyceride oil called triheptanoin may provide hope for people with Huntington’s disease by improving the brain’s metabolic profile in the early stages of the disease. “Although the results should be taken with great caution because researchers and participants in the study knew whether or not they were getting the drug, we saw improvement in movement and motor skills in people with Huntington’s after one month of therapy,” said the study’s lead author. During the study, researchers used MRI scans to analyze the energy profile before, during and after the brain was visually stimulated in nine people who were in the early stages of Huntington’s disease, and 13 people without the disease. The test was then repeated one month later. In the people without the disease, the brain’s metabolism increased during the stimulation, then returned to the normal level. In people with Huntington’s disease, there was no change in metabolism. During the second part of the study, only people with Huntington’s disease received triheptanoin — a compound made up of special fatty acids that can provide alternative energy to glucose in the brain. The 10 participants, which included give of the participants in the first half of the study, all had normal brain metabolism. If confirmed in other studies, the results could offer potential new treatments for those who have the Huntington’s gene in the their families. To read more about this study, click here.