§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research is being undertaken into the early diagnosis and treatment of Hunting-ton's chorea; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe Medical Research Council's Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit in Cambridge is studying the biochemical changes underlying Huntington's chorea and recent research there has shown a loss of certain transmitters and related enzymes in some parts of the brain of patients with Huntington's chorea. It is possible that this will lead to a new approach to the treatment of the movement disorder associated with the disease. Professor J. A. N. Corsellis of the Institute of Psychiatry, London, is receiving long-term grant support from the Council for a programme of work on the effects of age and disease on the human brain which includes neurohistological studies of Huntington's chorea. More generally the Council is supporting basic neurological work which could advance knowledge of the nature and cause of Huntington's chorea and thereby lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment.
The Council would be ready to consider support for any worthwhile and scientifically sound proposal for research into Huntington's chorea.