New research from the University of British Columbia suggests that following a strict eating schedule can help clear away the protein responsible for Huntington disease in mice.
Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited, progressive disorder that causes involuntary movements and psychiatric problems. Symptoms appear in adulthood and worsen over time. Children born to a parent with HD have a one in two chance of inheriting the disease, which is caused by a buildup of mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT).
In research published today, scientists stimulated autophagy–a process in which the cell cleans out debris and recycles cellular material such as proteins–by restricting access to food in mice with HD to a six-hour window each day. This led to significantly lower levels of mHTT in the brain.
“We know that specific aspects of autophagy don’t work properly in patients with Huntington disease,” said study lead author Dagmar Ehrnhoefer, who conducted the study while she was a researcher with the UBC Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics. “Our findings suggest that, at least in mice, when you fast, or eat at certain very regulated times without snacking in between meals, your body starts to increase an alternative, still functional, autophagy mechanism, which could help lower levels of the mutant huntingtin protein in the brain.”