UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute hosts Huntington's disease education day

Local 12 spoke with patient advocate Susan Conrad and the University of Cincinnati's Corey Keeton while highlighting a Huntington's disease education day.

The event was held at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute and organized by the Ohio Valley Chapter of the Huntington's Disease Society of America.

"Huntington's disease is a degenerative brain disease, where the brain cells sort of decrease over time," Conrad, who lives with the disease, told Local 12. Huntington's causes cognitive issues, including trouble with thinking and executive function.

Children of people who have Huntington's have a 50% chance of inheriting the faulty gene that causes the disease.

"I think that it's really important for them to know that this is something that is continuing to be researched," said Keeton, MD, associate professor in UC's College of Medicine and a UC Health psychiatrist. "There are trials that are continuing to be done, to try to see how can we improve symptoms, and how can we improve life."

Watch or read the Local 12 report.

Featured image at top: UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute. Photo/Mark Herboth Photography LLC.