Neuro Note #3: Huntington's Disease - A Test for the Future

          

For this Neuro Note, I decided to choose a BBC short video regarding a woman that decides to take a genetic test that will decide her future. This video was posted on the BBC's official website, and it is titled "Huntington's Disease: I'm Taking a Test That Will Reveals the Future." In this video, Lisa enters the late stages of Huntington's Disease (HD), and her two daughters, Danielle and Sophie begin to discuss their future. Sophie chose to defer the genetic testing, because she claimed, "I feel there would be a dark, looming cloud above me for years if I found out." Hearing this statement shocked me, but through further meditation, I can totally understand her reasoning. On the other hand, her sister, Danielle, chose to get the genetic testing. Her reasoning was her genuine curiosity, but the main factor was that she wanted to start a family with her husband. Unfortunately, she did test positive for the Huntington's Disease gene. Since we have already discussed HD in our Neuro class, I already understood the following concepts regarding the disease: it is a neurodegenerative disease that is an autosomal dominate gene that affects any offspring by 50%, there is no cure, and it truly affects everything about the individual (physical, emotional, and cognition). I chose this video to understand the struggles of being a caregiver of an individual with HD, and to empathize with an offspring that wants or does not want to get tested. One thing that I learned was that any offspring that has parents with the HD gene can get tested by the age of 18. Also, I learned the feelings of both parties of why they would or would not want to get this testing. It is honestly terrifying to get a test, when you're relatively healthy, that can potentially let you know that your life will drastically change in the next 10-15 years. Thus, confirming that it will lead you to your death. I think it takes an abundant amount of courage to be willing to take this test, regardless of whatever age they decide. I 100% recommend this video to any educators, students, or caregivers to express the intensity of this disease, and the struggles the offspring go through in regards of care and genetic testing.

Works Cited

Brown, Rob. "A Test That Reveals the Future: Would You Want to Know?" BBC News, 1 Feb. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-51310996. Accessed 2 Aug. 2022.