Final answer:
The huntingtin protein linked to Huntington's disease causes detrimental effects by increasing extrasynaptic NMDA receptor expression, leading to neuronal death. Medications focusing on blocking these extrasynaptic receptors might provide a treatment without affecting critical synaptic function.
Step-by-step explanation:
The huntingtin protein affects NMDA receptors by promoting their expression at extrasynaptic locations in individuals with Huntington's disease (HD).
This aberrant expression of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors leads to increased intracellular calcium concentrations, which can set off a chain of events resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal cell death.
One potential therapeutic strategy is to use drugs like memantine or NR2B subunit specific antagonists to selectively block these harmful extrasynaptic NMDA receptors without disrupting the normal synaptic NMDA receptor activity that's essential for many neuronal functions.