Final answer:
Huntington's disease (HD) is a degenerative disorder characterized by the death of neurons in the brain. It leads to physical, psychological, and cognitive symptoms, including involuntary spastic movement, difficulty with voluntary movement, and cognitive decline.
Step-by-step explanation:
Huntington's disease (HD) is a degenerative disorder that affects the nervous system. It is characterized by the death of cortical and striatal neurons, leading to physical, psychological, and cognitive symptoms. Symptoms include involuntary spastic movement, difficulty initiating and controlling voluntary movement, and cognitive decline.
HD is caused by a mutation in the gene that encodes the huntington protein, resulting in the production of an abnormal protein with a longer than normal sequence of glutamine residues.
It is an inherited disorder that follows an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. People who are heterozygous for the dominant Huntington allele (Hh) will develop the disease.