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Huntington's disease also Huntington disease n a progressive chorea that is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, that usu. begins in middle age, that is characterized by choreiform movements and mental deterioration leading to dementia, and that is accompanied by atrophy of the caudate nucleus and the loss of certain brain cells with a decrease in the level of several neurotransmitters called also Huntington's

a hereditary disease caused by a defect in a single gene that is inherited as an autosomal dominant characteristic, tending to appear in half of the children of the parents with this condition. Symptoms, which begin to appear in early middle age, include unsteady gait and jerky involuntary movements (see chorea), accompanied later by behavioural changes, and progressive dementia. The defective gene, which is located on chromosome no. 4, has now been identified, and genetic screening is possible for those at risk.