Interestingly enough, the scientists did not find evidence of abnormal brain cell death in their mice. This finding suggests that you can get the symptoms of the disease before the cells die. It is suspected that the long glutamine stretch of one protein may stick to that of another, causing a gradual buildup into the clumps seen inside the nuclei. If this feature is common in all CAG repeat disorders, the possibility that a drug that inhibits the binding of glutamine stretches would offer treatment for several human neurodegenerative disorders. This rare condition causes individuals to excrete relatively large amounts of TMA in their urine, sweat, and breath, and exhibit a fishy body odor characteristic of the malodorous free amine, leading to the designation fish-odor syndrome.
Incidence can vary with ethnicity.
For example, the populations of Ecuador and Papua New Guinea have much higher rates of the disease. TMA is a natural byproduct of the digestion of foods rich in choline, such as saltwater fish, egg yolk, liver, kidney, legumes, soy beans, and peas. Those suffering from fish-odor syndrome often experience agonizing social ridicule and isolation. Social ostracism due to the offensive body aroma leads to adverse psychological effects, including depression, feelings of rejection, difficulty establishing normal social relationships, problems in school, and even suicide. The authors caution that this finding does not offer an immediate cure for the condition, but it does offer some hope of a genetic or enzyme based therapy for the future.