L1.2.1.2.3: The "Terrible Three"

• ○ Huntington’s Disease

  ■ Hereditary disease leading to the degeneration of basal nuclei and the cerebral cortex

  ■ Strikes during middle age

  ■ Initial symptoms: wild, jerky, and almost continuous flapping movements called chorea
• ○ Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)

  ■ Progressive degenerative disease of the brain that ultimately results in dementia, memory loss, and eventual language loss

  ■ Associated with low acetylcholine levels and abnormally high amounts of beta-amyloid peptide
• ○ Parkinson’s Disease

  ■ Typically strikes people in their 50’s to 60’s

  ■ Results from abnormally low dopamine levels in the basal nuclei, resulting in overactive motor neurons that cause tremors