1
Return

Beyond the brain: Polyglutamine disease pathology outside the nervous system

delete2026-07-18
delete0
delete
OA
AI
J
Julia P. Rausch
B
Brock Bradley
F
Fabio Demontis
S
Sokol V. Todi *
DOI:10.1016/j.nbd.2026.107539delete
deleteOriginal
deleteOriginal request for help
deleteShare
deleteSave
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Polyglutamine diseases are primarily age-dependent neurodegenerative disorders, but patient-based data also point to a broader, multisystem biology. Clinical, imaging, biochemical, and post-mortem studies support peripheral involvement across multiple organ systems in the onset and progression of Huntington's Disease, Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy, Dentatorubral-Pallidoluysian Atrophy, and six Spinocerebellar Ataxias. Various peripheral abnormalities often emerge before or alongside overt neurological symptoms, contribute to disability and mortality, and are only partly explained by deconditioning or medications. Current data support viewing polyglutamine diseases as systemic protein-misfolding syndromes with organ-selective vulnerability, where peripheral tissues both mirror and modify CNS pathology in humans. Here, we propose that integrated, longitudinal, multisystem phenotyping and targeted organ-directed interventions are essential components of future research investigations, clinical care, and trial design.
Keywords:
Adipose tissue
Aging
Ataxia
Atrophy
Blood
Bone
CAG repeat expansion
Cardiovascular system
Endocrine system
Gastrointestinal system
Glia
Gonadal system
Immune system
Liver
Muscle
Neuron
Skin

Journal

Neurobiology of Disease cover
Neurobiology of Disease
IF:
5.6
Papers:
6.7K
Citations:
2.1W

Organization

W
wayne state university
Scholars:
2.0W
Papers: 1.6W
Citations: 17
S
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Scholars:
623
Papers: 167
Citations: 1.6W
Cited Papers

Cited Papers

Citing Papers

Citing Papers