{
  "id": 5766951,
  "title": "New brain scan tool could help treat Huntington’s disease, a devastating genetic condition",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/new-brain-scan-tool-could-help-treat-huntingtons-disease-a",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-05T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Scientific American",
    "slug": "scientific-american",
    "url": "https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-brain-scan-tool-could-help-treat-huntingtons-disease-a-devastating-genetic-condition/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A cutting-edge MRI scan technique could offer insights into the cellular damage caused by Huntington's disease, an inherited genetic condition that gradually impairs movement, cognition, and mood in about 8,000 people in the U.K. Researchers have found that the method, known as \"soma and neurite density imaging\" (Sandi), can detect abnormalities in the brain's basal ganglia that correspond to those observed in postmortem brain tissue. Huntington's disease results from a faulty gene, typically manifesting between ages 30 and 50, and there is currently no cure. The new MRI technique could potentially assess treatment efficacy by tracking cellular changes in living patients. The study analyzed brain scans from 56 Huntington's patients and 57 healthy controls, revealing reduced cell density and altered cell size in the basal ganglia of those with the disease, patterns not seen in healthy individuals. While promising, further research is needed to confirm Sandi's ability to monitor disease progression and treatment effects over time.",
  "summary": "Huntington’s disease is an inherited condition that gradually robs people of their ability to move, speak and even think clearly—there is no cure",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}